President Trump lashed out at Sen. Richard Blumenthal in a tweetstorm early Monday, hammering him as an “phony Vietnam con artist,” after remarks the Connecticut Democrat made against the Trump organization on a morning news program
“Interesting to watch Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut talking about hoax Russian collusion when he was a phony Vietnam con artist!” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “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?”
“I served during the Vietnam era,” Blumenthal said in 2008. “I remember the taunts, the insults, sometimes even physical abuse.
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
Mr. President: Your bullying hasn’t worked before and it won’t work now. No one is above the law.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) August 7, 2017
He told a gathering of families who were expressing support for returning American troops in 2003 that, “when we returned, we saw nothing like this.”
But according to The New York Times, Blumenthal, 71, got five military deferments that let him avoid deployment. Blumenthal addressed the controversy in a press conference during his 2010 Senate campaign, and clarified that he served “during” the war as a reservist, and not “in” the war overseas.
