What’s drawn the president’s ire regarding Blumenthal is the senator’s unrelenting discussion of the Russia collusion story, and now, his co-sponsorship of legislation to stop Trump from firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
President Trump began his Twitter barrage yesterday morning covering a wide range of topics, including the “failing NYTimes” and the renovation underway at the White House. But his most stinging tweet focused on Blumenthal:
Interesting to watch Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut talking about hoax Russian collusion when he was a phony Vietnam con artist!”
That one must have left a mark.
Trump then zeroed in on Blumenthal’s false recollections of his Vietnam era military service
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. Now he judges collusion?”
After that jab, Blumenthal had to respond or else look like a complete weakling. So he replied with accusations of the president trying to bully him and Special Counsel Mueller.
Mr. President: Your bullying hasn’t worked before and it won’t work now. No one is above the law.”
Unfortunately for him, one of his replies has the potential to be taken the wrong way and create an unwanted impression.
This issue isn’t about me – it’s about the Special Counsel’s independence and integrity.”
Did it occur to Blumenthal that the president’s comments about the Russia investigation being a “fabricated story” and “hoax” go right to the issue of Mueller’s integrity, especially knowing he’s loaded up his investigative staff with lawyers well-connected to the Democrat party?
Realizing the folly of pursuing a Twitter battle with President Trump, Blumenthal decided to take his response to a reliable safe haven, CNN and Wolf Blitzer.
Blitzer opened the segment reading the Trump tweets and seeking Blumenthal’s response. The senator immediately deflected and shifted the conversation to talk about the Russia investigation.
I have no idea about what is in his mind,” Blumenthal said. “What I do know is I will not be distracted by his bullying, and these bullying tweets reinforce for me the need for a piece of legislation that I am helping to lead … a bipartisan coalition to prevent firing of the special counsel Robert Mueller, who he has also sought to intimidate.”
The CNN host then gingerly raised a question about possible bad blood between Trump and Blumenthal’s father-in-law, Peter Malkin, being part of their feud. Malkin was a principal competitor of Trump in various real estate deals in New York City. Again, Blumenthal deflected.
It is not about me. It is about upholding the rule of law and protecting our national security and making sure the special counsel investigation is protected against political interference,”
Unhappily for Blumenthal, the nasty Twitter exchange revives the story of Blumenthal’s horrendous faux pas during his campaign for the Senate in 2008. Before a veterans group in Norwalk, he made the following claim:
We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it —Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”
The problem is that Blumenthal never set foot in Vietnam. He got called out for his remark and wound up having to apologize for misrepresenting his military service.
That episode gave President Trump the ammunition needed for his nastiest tweet against Blumenthal.
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.”
No doubt the enmity will continue between the two. It remains to be seen if Twitter will be the primary battleground, or if the war will shift to another front.
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
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
Interesting to watch Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut talking about hoax Russian collusion when he was a phony Vietnam con artist!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
Never in U.S.history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like Senator Richard Blumenthal. He told stories about his Vietnam battles and….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
…conquests, how brave he was, and it was all a lie. He cried like a baby and begged for forgiveness like a child. Now he judges collusion?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2017
This issue isn't about me – it's about the Special Counsel's independence and integrity.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) August 7, 2017
Source: Washington Free Beacon, ZeroHedge
Can you imagine what it would have been like if the Internet and Twitter had been around in Harry Truman’s presidency?
The mind boggles at that thought.
Oddly enough, it’s taken a 71-year old man to master Twitter and use it as a means to dominate the news cycle. For every pundit who bemoans the president’s tweets and wants staff to reel him in, there are millions of Americans wanting “Trump to be Trump.”
Love the points
When you are figthing the liberals the only way possible to beat them is in a Trump style