Tag Archives: Senator Leahy

US House Republican leadership: Democrats’ sit-in supports terrorism!

“I… I don’t know exactly how to put this, sir, but are you aware of what a serious breach of security that would be? I mean, he’ll see everything, he’ll… he’ll see the Big Board!” General “Buck” Turgidson

Speaker Paul Ryan got on a local talk radio program from his home state and vented about how horrible the Democrats were for staging a sit-in on the House floor to force a vote on gun control measures. Vermont Congressman Peter Welch and Senators Leahy and Sanders joined in the demonstration that took place last week. Cllh0V2XIAUg6yh

Speaker Ryan, perhaps embarrassed by losing control of the situation on his House floor called the action  a “a low moment for the people’s House,”  He threatened Republicans “will not tolerate” it if Democrats launch another sit-in on the House floor after the Fourth of July recess to force a vote on gun control.

Republican grumblings include calling for a vote to censure Democrats that took part in the sit-in. The Hill.com explains the Republican’s argument:

…photographing and filming from all angles on the floor jeopardizes national security and the lives of members of Congress. Terrorists could study the images to help them prepare for a possible attack on the Capitol.  fullhouse

“There are safety and national security reasons that that is the rule,” said a lawmaker close to leadership. “And it is extraordinary that they ignored it.” 

Did Scott Milne just launch a run for U.S. Senate?

Scott Milne recently sold his stake in his family travel agency and began floating serious trial balloons about running against longtime Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. In March he discussed his qualifications with vtdigger.com:

[…] you know, I’m a travel agent and I think I got a shot at taking out the longest-serving senator in Vermont history and currently the longest-serving senator in the United States,” Milne said.

He now, it seems, is exploring whether the investigations into the (alleged ) “Ponzi” scheme at Jay Peak and Q-Burke is an issue that Senator Leahy, a champion of the Federal EB-5 program, may be vulnerable on. Could it have legs for Milne?

mobbingIt seems unlikely, so we will see, but Scott Milne didn’t wait and  jumped head first into it:

“Peter Shumlin and Patrick Leahy have both displayed a lack of competence and a lack of leadership in the way the EB-5 program has been structured and managed,” Milne said, lumping Leahy in with the Democratic governor he nearly defeated in 2014. “On the federal level, I think it just wasn’t structured with auditability and transparency built into it.”

Milne may not have thought this one through. You see he and his business partner Attorney David Boise (his former college roommate and largest contributor to his failed campaign for governor) explored using EB-5 program to help finance their mixed use Vermont development.

B&M Realty and Development has been attempting to build a mixed used development, Quechee Highlands in Hartford near the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. B&M’s project has been wrangling in the courts over regional land use regulations (one of Milne’s signature issues).

In 2009 at their own expense, B &M partners Milne and Boise joined an EB-5 road trip to Asia with then-Governor Jim Douglas.douglaseb-5Saigon  Milne must have enjoyed the trip.He returned impressed with EB-5 and sang praises to its entrepreneurial qualities without qualification.

“To me, it [EB-5] is the perfect storm of government policy capturing the best of entrepreneurial spirit,” Milne told the Valley News a week after returning from Asia. “I was pleased beyond my expectations.”

Although still hemming and hawing a bit about challenging Sen. Leahy, Milne says former Vermont Republican Party chair Jim Barnett has been advising him.

I’d think Barnett might have told Scott Milne not to tie his shoe laces together if he wants to run … or walk in the election. Penny loafers might be a safer bet for this Republican.milnescottdouglas