Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday lashed out at reports that his wife, Jane, is under federal investigation over a real estate deal.
In an interview on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Sanders, I-Vt., dismissed the reports as “pathetic” and defended his wife as “the most honest person I know.”
“I think it’s fairly pathetic when people are involved in public life, it’s not only that they get attacked, but it’s their wives and their families that get attacked,” Sanders said. “That’s what this is about.”
The news website Vtdigger.com first reported last week that Jane Sanders hired a lawyer to defend herself in a federal investigation looking into a real estate deal for a now-defunct college that she put together.
.@BernieSanders tells @ErinBurnett that a reported investigation into his wife stems from a “pathetic” attack https://t.co/EqheU6Hwx3 pic.twitter.com/OjpUcIRETS— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) June 28, 2017
The complaint against Jane Sanders alleges she made fraudulent claims and promises while seeking $10 million in financing for the real estate deal.
Attorney Brady Toensing, who served as the Vermont campaign chairman for Donald Trump during his run for president, filed the complaint in early 2016.
In the CNN interview, Sanders seemed to hint that Toensing initiated the probe for political reasons.
Sanders ran to become the Democratic presidential nominee last year but was defeated in the primary by Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in the general election.
“Just at the moment coincidentally no doubt when I am a candidate for president of the United States, Donald Trump’s vice chairman of the Republican Party in Vermont launched this investigation,” Sanders said.
Sanders declined to answer when asked directly if his wife is being investigated by the FBI.
“That’s all that I want to say, and I will let it play out,” Sanders said.
