Richard Blumenthal’s Chinese Water Torture: Yet More “Misplaced Words”

The New York Times is out today with yet another round of revelations of instances in with Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal lied about serving in Vietnam:

Broader newspaper archival searches continue to turn up instances in which Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut portrayed himself as a Vietnam War veteran even though he did not serve in the war.

The most recent article unearthed is one published in The Milford Mirror, a weekly, describing an appearance he made at a May 2007 Memorial Day Parade in Milford, Conn., attended by local officials, military people and the relatives of a local man killed while serving in Iraq.

As people gathered around a bandstand to give praise to fallen veterans, the article said, Mr. Blumenthal recalled his days during the Vietnam War.

“In Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said, according to the article, “we had to endure taunts and insults, and no one said, ‘Welcome home.’ I say welcome home.”

The disclosure of the Milford episode comes days after The New York Times reported that Mr. Blumenthal, who is running for the United States, had falsely claimed that he had served in Vietnam, and had failed to correct reports in the news media that perpetuated the claim.

In one instance, according to The Times, Mr. Blumenthal told a Norwalk audience in 2008, “We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam.”

The article also described his attendance at a rally in Bridgeport, where about 100 military families gathered to express support for American troops overseas. “When we returned, we saw nothing like this,” he said. “Let us do better by this generation of men and women.”

The Times also reported that he received five deferments that allowed him to avoid the war and, among other things, travel abroad to study and work in the White House. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve, a place considered a haven from the war, in early 1970, when deferments had come under review by the Nixon administration.

Mr. Blumenthal has acknowledged that on occasion, he has misspoken about his military service. But he has said that he never intentionally misled the public about his military record.

Blumenthal is scheduled to speak today before the Connecticut Democratic Party’s convention where he will be formally nominated as the pary’s Senate nominee. There doesn’t seem to be any serious challenge to his candidacy and little question inside the party about whether or not he should be the nominee given the revelations this week. Connecticut Democrats are surely aware of the risk that they’re taking, though, especially since it seems very likely that reporters are going to uncover even more instances when Blumenthal falsely claimed a military honor he never earned.

FILED UNDER: 2010 Election, Congress, US Politics, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Joe says:

    How are people not making a much bigger stink about this? It’s really terrible to lie about having served in the military.

  2. Ugh says:

    Joe – he did serve in the military.

    My larger take on this would be: wait, you’re lying about having served in a war that was a giant blunder and cost tens of thousands of american lives for essentially nothing instead of arranging to avoid the entire fiasco when you had the means to do so? I’m not voting for someone as stupid as you dude.

  3. Lying about serving in combat is a fairly serious matter regardless of how popular or unpopular the war might have been

  4. This is a quintessential example of the state of fiction that pervades the lives of politicians. They quite literally live in a state of unreality. It’s worth asking whether Blumenthal actually ever even thought he was doing some wrong, or at least not true, in stating over a long period that he had served in a war that he had been deferred from. The answer is probably “no.”

  5. Ugh says:

    Lying about serving in combat is a fairly serious matter regardless of how popular or unpopular the war might have been.

    Where did I mention the relative popularity of the Vietnam war?

  6. You know, you’re right. I mis-interpreted what you wrote.

    My excuse ? It’s Friday

  7. Ugh says:

    “It’s Friday” works most days.

  8. Connecticut Democrats are surely aware of the risk that they’re taking

    What risk? If things go badly, they’ll just get some sympathetic judges to pull a New Jersey and replace the candidate, regardless of what state election law says on the matter.

  9. tom p says:

    Connecticut… Isn’t that the state that gave us Joe Lieberman? (again and again and again…)

  10. PappyHappy says:

    Blumenthal has shown that he is not only a LIAR, but that he attempted to steal the honor, bravery, and loyalty of those who served during Vietnam — IN VIETNAM. He displayed the colors of the liberal democrat — ‘do as I say, not as I do’.

    This guy was stealing valor for himself. Situations like this — had he been on active duty — would have been solved through courts-martial!

    Of greater import to us voters, this guy has also shown that HE IS A COWARD — given all of his deferments!

    Given his now known background — WHY IS HE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL — TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF CONN??

    Really feel for those veterans who were used as a stage prop 18 May. Lost every ounce of respect for a liar who will use veterans who were brave enough to serve as a PROP to save his sorry rump! He has ZERO ETHICS — glad we found it out now!!

    For Pete’s sake, HE COULD NOT EVEN QUALIFY TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION WHERE HE SPOKE ON 18 MAY!! The audacity of this egotistically loquacious individual!!

    Like way too many in Washington already, Blumenthal suffers from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We do not need anymore in DC!!

  11. An Interested Party says:

    Of greater import to us voters, this guy has also shown that HE IS A COWARD — given all of his deferments!

    It’s nice to know that you disapprove of Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, John Ashcroft, Saxby Chambliss, Joe Wilson, Bill Bennett, and Rush Limbaugh, among others…

  12. andrew says:

    “Where did I mention the relative popularity of the Vietnam war?”

    You were clearly implying that because Vietnam was “unpopular” it’s OK that Blumenthal was lying.

  13. Raoul says:

    Lindsay Graham misstatements were far more numerous but it did not seem to hurt him. See Daily Howler- at worst Blumenthal may have misspoken once or twice.

  14. Aristotle says:

    Well, the difference between the truth and a lie is, after all, just “a few misplaced words.” Do you kill Mr Smith? “No, I did not” versus “Yes, I did.” Just a few words separate the two . . . .

  15. Mobobot says:

    “It’s nice to know that you disapprove of Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, John Ashcroft, Saxby Chambliss, Joe Wilson, Bill Bennett, and Rush Limbaugh, among others…”

    Who of those in your list of 100% of those on the Right lied about having served in Vietnam and then lied about having lied about it? And then still garnered support from his “win at all costs” party? This is mostly a tactic and ok behavior from the Left in this country.

  16. Mobobot says:

    “at worst Blumenthal may have misspoken once or twice.”

    BULL.

  17. An Interested Party says:

    re: Mobobot | May 23, 2010 | 08:36 am

    The quote I was commenting on claimed that Blumenthal is a coward because he used deferments to avoid going to Vietnam…if that is the case, then all those I named are also cowards as they did the same thing…

  18. Frase says:

    Ugh says:
    Friday, May 21, 2010 at 15:31

    Joe – he did serve in the military.

    My larger take on this would be: wait, you’re lying about having served in a war that was a giant blunder and cost tens of thousands of american lives for essentially nothing instead of arranging to avoid the entire fiasco when you had the means to do so? I’m not voting for someone as stupid as you dude.

    STRAW MAN ARGUMENT ALERT!!
    A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent’s position. To “attack a straw man” is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting a superficially similar proposition (the “straw man”), and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.

    Problem #2: Anyone who served in the military during Vietnam, which BULLmenthal did, but not IN Vietnam during Vietnam knows not to say the later if not true. This one is easy…HE LIED in multiple speeches…mostly to Veterans and their families

    Problem #3: Don’t call someone “Dude” on a message board…This isn’t “The Big Lebowski”…we’re not your buddy or pal, just another person with a computer and an opinion.

    I am voting for McMahon …she has seen real combat, through the years, with her family.

  19. r miller says:

    you are missing the point here. i served 4 combat tours in vietnam, happen to be 100% disabled as a result. we were treated like crap when we returned. spit on, reviled, called “baby killers”. most of us just shut up when we got back. best not to let anyone know. less abuse that way. it’s bad enough going into combat, but when your own country is against the war and treats it’s military like we were the ones who made the decision to go there in, with citizens taking their angst for the war out on us rather than the politicians who sent us there in the first place it scars ones soul. even now i can pick nam vets out in a crowd. we all have a mark. we know each other. blumenthal was one step up from a draft dodger. a civilian in marine uniform. a lamb in wolf’s clothing. he is a liar, and a coward. as they say, no guts, no glory. cant have it both ways. here in florida, it is against the law to lie about military service. how about that? the ag being charged for his lies. mispoke don’t cut it. we vietnam vets are a very proud if unapreciated band of proud american warriors and blumenthal has no place in united states government.

  20. Dana Lotzgesell says:

    To R Miller: Here, here!

  21. Dave Livingston says:

    I strongly agree with R. Miller’s asserssment that Blumenthal’s actions placed him “one step up from a draft dodger.” IMO he should drop out of the Senate race, but I don’t expect him to do so. And as Miiller said, most of us who gfought in ‘Nam despise lying wannabes such as Blumenthal.

    That I fought & was WIA in Viet-Nam is verifiable online. Go to http://www.vietnamproject.ttu.edu/banshee & once there merely check the unit roster for my name, Dave Livingston.

    As Miller also said, “It was tpoliticians who sent us to Viet-Nam.” Liberal Democrat politicians.
    It’s also true that of the G.i.s who actually served in-country were mostly, 75%+, volunteers, not draftees. This is verifiable online as well. Go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial online.

  22. No One Important says:

    Basically, it is evidence that this guy doesn’t have any morals or scruples to be running for office.

    We have no honor, no scruples, and no shame in our politicians anymore.

    why hasn’t some mechanism in his head told him “I’ve embarassed myself, and shamed myself. I’m not fit to serve.”

    Where is the mechanism in their heads that says “what I’m doing is wrong” ???

    These are some seriously damaged psychos running for office.

    Well, out of Chicago:

    Mayor Joseph DuPar said he received the Medal of Honor, but his mayoral opponent says that’s not true.

    In his campaign literature, Calumet Park Mayor Joseph DuPar touted his decorated service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

    “As a Sergeant in the military, I received the Medal of Honor with (4) Bronze Stars for my Leadership,” his campaign flier states.

    And continued:

    DuPar’s military records, which the Tribune obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration, do not list the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest decoration.

    Victoria Kueck, director of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, confirmed DuPar is not a Medal of Honor recipient.

    “We only have 91 living recipients,” and there’s an archived file on each one since the Civil War, Kueck said.

    And for all you people out there:

    Abe Wilson, who lost in last spring’s election, states in response to a defamation lawsuit filed by DuPar that the mayor violated the Stolen Valor Act:

    a federal law signed in 2006 that made it illegal to lie about military honors. Those convicted face up to a year in jail or a fine of as much as $100,000.

    You just don’t do things like this.

    Blumenthal should be run out of the race. He has no honor, no scruples and no morals.

    It’s time we started holding these people to a standard of at least having common sense.

    If you lie about serving your nation, what makes you think you’re suitable to serve your nation now?

    The silence from the liberals on this is just astounding. . . . .

  23. No One Important says:

    Seriously. If you’re a scumbag who dodged serving your nation, then what makes you think you are qualified to serve now?

    Where are their heads at? What basic mechanism is missing in some of these parasites who run for higher office. Souder left because he fell down. Good. Go away. There’s the door.

    Sandford had to be outted as having a mistress in another country.

    Edwards was having a long time affair and actually thought he could be president?

    And now, we have the scumbags who are parasites on our military men and women’s honor. . who didn’t win the award he claimed, and blumenthal who didn’t serve in country but makes statements and implies he did. . . .

    Kerry gets a purple heart for a piece of egg shell in his eye. . .and then wears it like he was some hero. . . and plays himself a hero, but gives hateful testimony about veterans when he came back. . . . .and later in life thinks he’s qualified to be president?

    Where is the mechanism in their heads that says “I’m not fit to serve. I should step down.”

    We have the worst of the worst who think they should be promoted. What is wrong with these people? Why are we left choosing from scumbags like this? Is this the best we can do?

    Where are the honorable men who really did serve? I want those guys. I want the guy that went, came home, was proud, has some common sense about leadership (having lead people) . . . . .I want THOSE guys to run our nation. I want these people in office. Those who actually understand what it means to serve, the price, the costs, and how precious that decision is.

    I want people of HONOR to run for office.

    No more of these scumbag parasite people. People who are missing the basic ability to tell right from wrong.

    We’ve got to be able to do better than parasites like blumenthal.