Senator Confronted With Wild Trump Post Live on CNN
The president called for Richard Blumenthal to be investigated on Truth Social.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal responded to Donald Trump’s extraordinary social media threat on Tuesday night as it was read out to him on live TV.
The president attacked Blumenthal after a fiery exchange between the Connecticut senator and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Capitol Hill earlier in the day.
Trump followed Bondi by seizing on an old scandal that has dogged the senator for years. Blumenthal was busted for exaggerating his military experience, and has long suffered attacks from Republicans.
Indeed, Bondi confronted him over it during her Senate testimony on Tuesday, but Trump took it to a whole new level later in the day by appearing to threaten the lawmaker with prison time.
Donald Trump posts on Truth Social about Richard Blumenthal.
Truth Social
Trump evoked jailed former congressman George Santos and wrote on Truth Social: “This guy shouldn’t be in the U.S. Senate. It should be investigated, and Justice should be sought.”
When asked if he had any concerns about Trump’s apparent threat to use the justice system against him, Blumenthal was sanguine. “It is just so completely deceptive and distorted. I‘ve seen the X post and it really is absurd,” he said.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Blumenthal was live on The Source with Kaitlan Collins to discuss his heated clash with the attorney general at the Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing when he was confronted with the post.
Richard Blumenthal on CNN Kaitlan Collins reads out Donald Trump's post about him.
screen grab
Trump had labeled him “perhaps the biggest ‘joke’ in the United States Senate,” before going on to attack his military record.
Blumenthal has admitted that he misrepresented his service during the Vietnam War, but he did serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve during the conflict, which is a lot more than Trump. The president has been accused of faking a medical issue in order to avoid conscription for Vietnam.
“Blumenthal was found out to be a FRAUD. The soldiers in his so-called ‘platoon’ came forward and said that they had no idea who this guy was,” Trump wrote. “This guy shouldn’t even be in the U.S. Senate. It should be investigated, and Justice should be sought. He should be allowed to speak no longer!”
Blumenthal admitted in 2010 that he had “misspoken” and had served in the Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam War, but had never left the country on active duty.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
He said at the time, “I will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to our country.”
Responding to Trump’s latest salvo, he said: “This allegation of 15 years ago has been really rejected by the voters of Connecticut three times, overwhelmingly reelecting me.”
“But more to the point, I was honorably discharged as a sergeant from the United States Marine Corps. I served in the reserves, and I referred to my service ‘in Vietnam’ on a handful, just a couple of occasions, rather than ‘during Vietnam.’”
Trump, 79, was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, but during the presidential campaign in July 2015 his camp said he had a “medical deferment for bone spurs on both heels of his feet.”
Bondi lashed out at Blumenthal during her Senate hearing, accusing him of having “lied” about his military service.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
The two men have a history of fighting online. In 2017, Blumenthal called Trump a “bully” after he labeled him a “phony Vietnam con artist.”
“Never in U.S. history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like Senator Richard Blumenthal. He told stories about his Vietnam battles and conquests, how brave he was, and it was all a lie. He cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness like a child,” Trump posted on X.
He followed up with another post that read “I think Senator Blumenthal should take a nice long vacation in Vietnam, where he lied about his service, so he can at least say he was there.”
Blumenthal clapped back, “Mr. President: Your bullying hasn’t worked before and it won’t work now. No one is above the law.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…