Trump demands probe into Richard Blumenthal, calls him ‘biggest joke in the Senate’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump just tore into Sen Richard Blumenthal.

The commander-in-chief, 79, lit up Truth Social on Tuesday, October 7, taking aim at the Connecticut Democrat after his tense face-off with Attorney General Pam Bondi during a congressional hearing.

Trump torches Richard Blumenthal

Donald Trump blasted Richard Blumenthal, recycling one of his favorite nicknames.

“Sanctimonious Richard ‘Da Nang D**k’ Blumenthal, perhaps the biggest ‘joke’ in the United States Senate, is at it again!” the Republican leader posted on Truth Social.

He went on to call the senator “a great ‘War Hero’ who lived on the precipice of death in the jungles of Vietnam,” mocking what he described as years of deception.

“‘D**k’ lied until the midpoint of his political career, convincing everyone, in particular the Fake News Media, that he was a great ‘War Hero’ who lived on the precipice of death in the jungles of Vietnam,” Trump wrote. “This guy shouldn’t even be in the US Senate. It should be investigated, and justice should be sought.”

Trump’s tirade came just hours after Blumenthal tried to grill Bondi over her ties to a law firm connected to a Justice Department-reviewed merger. That hearing was meant to discuss ethics and legal oversight, but it quickly turned into a verbal brawl. 

Bondi didn’t hold back after Blumenthal’s questioning. “Senator Blumenthal, I cannot believe that you would accuse me of impropriety when you lied about your military service,” she snapped. “How dare you? I’m a career prosecutor. Don’t you ever challenge my integrity.”

Richard Blumenthal responds to Donald Trump

Richard Blumenthal didn’t take Donald Trump’s attack lying down. During a subsequent appearance on CNN’s 'The Source with Kaitlan Collins', the 79-year-old senator called Trump’s claims “completely deceptive and distorted.”

“This allegation of 15 years ago has been really rejected by the voters of Connecticut three times, overwhelmingly reelecting me,” Blumenthal said.

He did, however, admit to misspeaking about his service. “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,’” he clarified.

Blumenthal has represented Connecticut in the Senate since 2011. During the Vietnam War, he received five draft deferments before joining the Marine Corps Reserve in 1970. He never served overseas.

The Vietnam fib that won’t die

This isn’t exactly a new skeleton in Richard Blumenthal’s closet.

Back in 2010, The New York Times reported that he had falsely suggested he served “in” Vietnam. He later admitted he “had not been as clear or precise as I should have been about my service in the Marine Corps Reserves,” according to CBS News.

Despite the controversy, Connecticut voters elected him to the Senate and have reelected him twice more since.

Regardless, Trump compared Blumenthal to ex-congressman George Santos. The president wrote that Santos’ “lies were nothing compared to those of” Blumenthal.

Trump’s payback continues

Since returning to the Oval Office in January, Donald Trump has been engaged in what critics are calling political retribution. He’s been targeting perceived enemies from his first term, launching investigations and ramping up attacks against anyone who once stood in his way.

Among his latest targets is former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted last month.

That said, it’s not like Blumenthal hasn’t poked the bear before. In 2017, he joined a lawsuit accusing Trump of violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which bars officials from accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments. The case, however, didn’t go far and was eventually dismissed, according to AFP.

Now, Trump seems eager to settle the score personally.