President Trump on Thursday slammed Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal for lying about serving in Vietnam, and accused Blumenthal of purposefully misrepresenting what his Supreme Court nominee said to him in a private meeting.
“Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie),now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?” Trump tweeted.
Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie),now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
When running for Senate in 2010, Blumenthal said several times in public that he served in Vietnam, but military records uncovered by the New York Times showed he never went to war. Instead, Blumenthal received multiple military deferments to avoid going over to Vietnam during the late 1960s.
Trump himself received multiple military deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam in the same period.
Blumenthal told reporters following a meeting with Judge Neil Gorsuch on Wednesday that Trump’s Supreme Court pick told him the comments the president has made about a federal judge who ruled against his immigration order are “demoralizing.”
While Trump indicated skepticism about Blumenthal’s story, former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., who is helping Gorsuch through the nomination process, has confirmed Blumenthal’s version of events. Gorsuch’s spokesperson also confirmed the story.
