Leahy’s Legacy of F-35 Lies and Corruption
Leahy lied repeatedly to U.S. Air Force senior officials and to his constituents, as summarized below:
What he said:
—“Some Vermonters have asked me to weigh in with the Air Force. I feel strongly that none of our state’s Congressional delegation should put our fingers on the scale. All Vermonters deserve to be heard, and I do not want to tamper with the fair and open public comment process.”
{Letter to constituent and Chair of the South Burlington City Council, Rosanne Greco June 22, 2012}
—“The final basing decision for the F-35A will be made not by Congress, but by the United States Air Force.”
{prepared comment, December 12, 2012}
—“The senator has made no attempt to influence the process of locating the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet at a Vermont National Guard base.”
{press report April 16, 2013}
—“Leahy and his office have said the senator has made no attempts to influence the process.”
{press report, May 31 2013}
What he did:
Air Force Administrative Records (AR) of the basing selection process, which included the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), show that Leahy repeatedly interfered, tampered with, pushed, and even pressured the Air Force to select Burlington. He personally made direct contact with multiple Air Force offices, from the mid-level program manager to the most senior military officer in the Air Force, the four-star Air Force Chief of Staff, to the the Secretary of the Air Force. Air Force records show at least 54 separate entries mentioning Leahy’s interference and pressure. Some examples from the Air Force official records are below.