Shocked & appalled—I just left a 90 minute classified briefing on foreign malign threats to our elections. From spying to sabotage, Americans need to see & hear these reports.
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Richard Blumenthal
@SenBlumenthal
Official Twitter account of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, proudly working for the people of Connecticut.
Richard Blumenthal’s posts
Mr. President: Your bullying hasn't worked before and it won't work now. No one is above the law.
This day is the saddest & angriest of my time in the Senate. The Republicans have succeeded in confirming a dangerous & deeply flawed nominee only by breaking all the rules & norms. The damage done today will be enduring—to the United States Supreme Court & to our country.
In advance of the classified briefing I’ll hear later today, I reviewed classified documents this morning. They are chilling. Declassify this information. Americans deserve & need to know about ongoing foreign interference (even sabotage) in our election system.
Taylor Swift’s tour sale is a perfect example of how the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger harms consumers by creating a near-monopoly. I’ve long urged DOJ to investigate the state of competition in the ticketing industry. Consumers deserve better than this anti-hero behavior.
I will oppose the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, as I would any nominee proposed as part of this illegitimate sham process, barely one month before an election as Americans are already casting their votes. Americans deserve a voice in this hugely consequential decision.
This morning’s classified coronavirus briefing should have been made fully open to the American people—they would be as appalled & astonished as I am by the inadequacy of preparedness & prevention.
Just got off the phone w/ HHS. I am furious&horrified after immigration conference call – virtually no separated children have been reunified; no system, no plan, no path to assure reunification; no answers to key questions. Strategy seems to be: blame everyone else.
If Republicans recklessly & reprehensibly force a SCOTUS vote before the election—nothing is off the table.
One of my constituents went to the FBI with evidence that Judge Kavanaugh was in touch with the wife of an alleged eye witness regarding Ms. Ramirez’s allegations of sexual misconduct before the New Yorker story broke. The FBI never called her back.
William Barr may now be in legal jeopardy. He testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the President never asked him to investigate anyone. He should be brought back before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain his previous testimony.
Despite demagogic attacks, Rep. Schiff is courageously standing up & speaking out for our nation’s integrity & security. He will not be silenced or deterred.
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I say this to the President, and his defenders in Congress:
You may think it’s okay how Trump and his associates interacted with Russians during the campaign.
I don’t.
I think it’s immoral. I think it’s unethical. I think it’s unpatriotic. And yes, I think it’s corrupt.
5:13
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Protect our democracy from destruction by declassifying key intel describing the danger of foreign subterfuge to our elections. Congress has been briefed, but sworn to secrecy—unacceptably.
As Senator McConnell once said: "Elections have consequences." Republican demands to cling to power after losing the election are just an excuse to continue their obstruction. Americans want action, not more stall tactics from sore losers.
Courageously, Dr. Ford will tell her story in the face of an impossible choice & vile bullying by Republican leadership. I will support her steadfast bravery against the arbitrary, unfair, irrational constraints set by Chairman Grassley.
There’s abundant evidence to convict Donald Trump of many of the crimes that Michael Cohen is now serving years in prison for committing.
President Trump - Your bullying won’t silence my calls for an independent prosecutor and investigation.
Today Barr told me, "there are two different reports… Under the current regulations, the Special Counsel report is confidential. The report that goes public would be a report by the Attorney General." The American people deserve the Mueller Report, not the Barr Report.
Very few women have an abortion late into their pregnancy—almost always due to severe health risks— & they rely on their doctors for accurate info & compassionate care. We must #ProtectProviders & not undermine women’s constitutional right to choose their reproductive future.
I’m voting no.
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Breaking News: President Trump has selected Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. His confirmation would cement a conservative hold on the court.
nyti.ms/2zq05bl
I will donate all my Senate pay to Homes For The Brave (), a charity doing so much for CT veterans, as long as the #TrumpShutdown lasts—recognizing the sacrifices of all Americans, especially dedicated (unpaid) federal workers.
Are you proud, Mr. President—as you said you would be—of the longest shutdown in American history? A tragic travesty.
Pretty ironic to hear President Trump “hereby declare” all American companies stop doing business in China when he STILL hasn’t come clean about his own dealings with governments overseas, as required by the U.S. Constitution.
There he goes again. I won’t be stopped or silenced by President Trump’s false personal attacks.
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This issue isn't about me - it's about the Special Counsel's independence and integrity.
First Don Jr.’s “I love it” & now this. Despicable, unpatriotic, & a blatant violation of campaign finance law. Failing to hold the president accountable for the facts uncovered by the Mueller report will result in more of this. My Republican colleagues need to wake up.
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Rudy Giuliani is pressing Ukraine to pursue investigations he hopes could undercut the Mueller inquiry and Joe Biden nyti.ms/2VrRz69
Having just reviewed the President’s classified notification to Congress, I can say unequivocally: it is totally unsatisfying, & there is no reason—none—for it to be classified & the American people to be left in the dark.
I'll use every possible tool to block DOJ Deputy AG nominee unless he commits to appoint independent special prosecutor
Trump denial of Russian collusion rotten at core and doomed to unravel. Expect more serious convictions and indictments early in 2018 as Special Counsel climbs ladder of criminal culpability - and more panicky, preemptive attacks from Republicans.
Stunning. Today’s classified briefing on Russia’s cyberattack left me deeply alarmed, in fact downright scared. Americans deserve to know what's going on. Declassify what’s known & unknown.
I am calling today for a House Select Committee to investigate & move forward with impeachment proceedings against the President. I reached this decision with sadness, but also anger, after the President has repeatedly broken laws & betrayed his oath of office.
I asked Judge Kavanaugh to recuse himself from any #SCOTUS case involving the criminal or civil liability of President Trump. He refused.
2:20
Trump’s yielding to huge pressure on the Doral deal doesn’t excuse his continuing corrupt acceptance of other illegal foreign payments & benefits. Our Emoluments lawsuit moves ahead full throttle.
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Trump tweets that his Doral golf resort in Miami will no longer host next year's G-7 summit after criticism wapo.st/32xBVFM
I’m filing a Freedom of Information Act request with my Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee in an attempt to obtain crucial documents our Republican colleagues refuse to request from Judge Kavanaugh’s formative time at the White House.
If Cohen is speaking the truth… & others can corroborate… Trump conspired with a foreign power who’s attacking our democratic process (again) & lied (again) to the American people about it. Criminal & inexcusable.
The Mueller Report documents in detail how the President not only tolerated & condoned people lying, but encouraged & instructed them to lie. It is a portrait of deeply unacceptable, unethical conduct, unbefitting an American president.
Carter Page FISA documents show convincingly that serious & significant factual evidence supported the warrant—and renewals. The national security need for surveillance was real & credible, as the FISA Court correctly concluded—repudiating false accusations by Trump cronies.
This is a break the glass moment. Replacing the Attorney General with a non-Senate-confirmed political staffer is highly irregular & unacceptable. Protecting the Special Counsel investigation is more urgent than ever.
How refreshing & inspiring—President Obama back with eloquence & elegance, making it cool to care. He lifts up caring about other human beings, justice, public service, & courage. Lighting a path in a dark time.
AG Barr must retract his unfounded, irresponsible claim that American law enforcement ‘spied’ on the Trump Campaign. The only spies interfering in the 2016 campaign were Russian ones.
McConnell is bringing back the Senate to confirm judges—judges, you read that right. Not to provide real solutions to the nation’s hardship & heartbreak. He’s recklessly endangering Capitol workers & others for pure partisan politics.
Chairman Grassley criticized Sen. Feinstein for mentioning Deborah Ramirez, Julie Swetnick, & other allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. He said we'll deal with those later. If the vote is tomorrow, when is later?
I support a resolution (to be proposed by Senator Schumer) to condemn Trump’s reckless reprehensible betrayal of Kurdish forces—enabling ISIS to resurge & threaten Americans. Republicans must join in the name of national security.
Now unavoidably, Trump Jr must be called back to Senate Judiciary Committee in light of untruths in what he told us, exposing himself to potential perjury charges. All in the family.
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Opinion: Five big takeaways from the stunning report that Trump told Cohen to lie wapo.st/2FGGKnK
A resounding bipartisan vote of no confidence in Matthew Whitaker as acting AG. I say, along with colleagues, he must go— & so do 400+ former DOJ officials who served both Republican & Democratic administrations.
Mark your calendars: our lawsuit seeking to hold President Trump accountable for violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause will be argued on June 7th.
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Trump is still acting like a tinpot kleptocrat: washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-lin
President Trump’s nauseating tweets this morning would be beneath comment—if they weren’t sadly from the President of the United States.
President Trump conspired with and directed Michael Cohen to commit a felony in order to defraud the American people and get himself elected. And he lied about it. The American people should be outraged.
Senator McConnell must heed a simple rule: Democrats won, we get the gavel. He’s delaying action to organize the Senate with outlandish demands. His stalling must be stopped.
Stunning report from . Ordering McGahn to fire Mueller, floating pardons, & now asking Whitaker to replace the head of SDNY criminal probe: Individual-1 seems deeply afraid of investigations encircling his company, foundation, campaign, inauguration, transition, & admin.
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The New York Times uncovered new details in President Trump’s 2-year campaign of pressure and intimidation against the investigations encircling him. His efforts have exposed him to accusations of obstruction of justice as Robert Mueller finishes his work. nyti.ms/2DXSQqd
1/ Predawn raid on Manafort's house is stunning- typical of serious criminal investigations dealing w uncooperative or untrusted targets
Chief Justice Roberts dodging responsibility for the deepening Court crisis constitutes judicial malpractice. Judges on lower federal courts should be enraged by Justices tarring the American judiciary with their reprehensible ethical failings.
. deserves better than a cold shoulder—not just because he’s Jaime’s dad & a dedicated advocate for gun violence reform, but because he’s an American citizen, here in DC participating in our democracy.
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Donald in Wonderland: through a legal looking glass, no President can be prosecuted because whatever he says is the law. Too absurd even for fiction. In fact, no one is above the law.
My bill w/RepNadler would stop a sitting President from escaping justice by running out statute of limitations—using DOJ policy as a get out of jail free card. Legally unfounded barring of criminal charges while a President is in office should be repealed. No one is above the law
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I will refuse to treat this process as legitimate & will not meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Blaming “rogue killers” for brutal Khashoggi murder makes our President look like a Saudi apologist living in an alternative reality—once again disregarding facts & demeaning American values.
AG Barr has disgracefully weaponized the Mueller Report for apparent political gain. AG Barr's actions are a betrayal of his oath of office, our Constitution, & the American people.
On Friday, my colleagues wanted to better pursue allegations against Judge Kavanaugh by working together & gathering all the evidence. Now the WH is only consulting Republicans to reduce the scope of the investigation. Are we trying to search for the truth or limit the facts?
These latest bombshell convictions should shake Republicans out of their moral stupor. If they continue with their purposeful inertia, the American people will do it for them.
Congressional oversight is not a game, Secretary Pompeo. The American people deserve answers. Provide them.
Lying to the Judiciary Committee is a crime—which Donald Trump Jr. seemingly committed. He must be called back to testify in public, as I’ve urged, so the American people know. nytimes.com/2018/08/06/us/
To Dr. Blasey Ford’s sons: You should be proud of your mom. She is a profile in courage & her name will be in the history books as someone who stepped forward, truly to speak truth to power. She did it yesterday & I am proud to say that I believe her.
The US should not be rewarding the man who committed war crimes with an invite to the WH. Trump’s persistence in wining & dining Erdogan shows a shocking disregard for Turkish aggression in Syria & attacks on our Kurdish partners.
Investigation must continue of Zinke’s illicit effort to sabotage CT tribal casino project. Possible criminal culpability must be pursued even after he leaves office.
These allegations are absolutely breathtaking—a gut punch. Julie Swetnick presents compelling, specific evidence of a pattern of vile & predatory behavior. There is absolutely no way Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination can proceed to a vote without an FBI investigation.
As legal walls close in on Trump, Whitaker refuses to recuse himself for exactly the reason he was appointed—to protect Trump. His defiance of DOJ ethics threatens to impede the Special Counsel, perhaps causing complicity in ongoing obstruction conspiracy. wapo.st/2BOSDUY
I demanded Trump’s Air Force Secretary nominee Barrett pledge a service-wide ban on stays at Trump properties & a full accounting of spending there so far. If she refuses, I’ll seek to stop her nomination. Republican colleagues should join.
4:06
The postmaster general owes America his resignation, now. By conducting cutbacks & downsizing, DeJoy is sabotaging our mail with damaging, debilitating delays.
Why is the Department of Homeland Security reportedly building secret dossiers on journalists & immigration lawyers? Apparent profiling mirrors the behavior of autocrats. I will be demanding answers.
Is the Saudi gov't purposely filling Trump's pockets? If so, what do they expect in return? We don’t know, because Trump refuses to comply with the Constitution—requiring disclosure & Congressional approval for foreign gov't benefits. I’m fighting in court to hold him accountable
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.@realdonaldtrump's hotel in Chicago has also reported an increase in Saudi customers, which has cushioned the hotel somewhat as US customers decline. twitter.com/Fahrenthold/st…
Credible evidence led FBI to believe that Russians were coordinating w/ Page & others in Trump campaign— no “witch hunt,” then or now.
Chairman Grassley’s rushed & irresponsible hearing schedule is a disgrace & disservice to the American people, our Constitution, & the rule of law. The agenda provides no time for adequate production—let alone review—of documents critical to properly vet this nominee.
Proud to join the Yale Law sit-in today to demand Judge Kavanaugh’s sexual assault allegations be fully investigated before the Senate votes on this nominee.
Trump pardon of Arpaio shows gross contempt for the rule of law. Silence by Congress is unacceptable.
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Refusal to release Democratic response to #NunesMemo - evidence of obstruction of justice by Donald Trump happening in real time.
I stand with millions of American consumers, innovators, and entrepreneurs against @AjitPaiFCC’s plot to gut #NetNeutrality. RT if you’re ready to resist this appalling attack on our free and open internet.
I will not meet with Judge Kavanaugh. Here are my reasons why:
Reported Manafort contacts with Julian Assange could draw—for the first time—a direct line from the heart of the Trump campaign to documents stolen by the Russians & efforts to meddle in our election.
President Trump’s personal vendetta against former nat’l security officials is a dangerous distraction. Why is the administration wasting time politicizing security clearances instead of focusing on preventing cyber-attacks, sanctioning Russia, or reuniting separated families?
If anything, Putin should be indicted, not invited. The last Special Counsel Indictment shows his criminal culpability for 12 Russian military spies’ cyber attacks. Add Putin as a co-conspirator?
Nothing said by Sec Acosta at his press conference changes the verdict: he must go. Despite his attempts to justify it, his unconscionable sweetheart deal w/sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein still stinks. This secret deal was immoral—a betrayal of young survivors & basic justice.
Threat of raids is holding immigrant communities hostage. They are terrified to leave their homes, attend church, go to the doctor or spend time w/family. Using fear & intimidation to advance inhumane, xenophobic policies has reached a new tyrannical, un-American low.
Trump’s lawyer threatening Special Counsel with shutdown demands immediate response: Congress must pass pending bipartisan legislation to protect Mueller against political interference.
No way on earth (or elsewhere) do I believe Robert Mueller gave Giuliani a “deadline” of Sept 1 (or any date). Good prosecutors simply don’t set arbitrary deadlines, which Giuliani knows well.
Secretary Nielsen leaves a legacy of separating thousands of families, caging children, & denying it happened. We will be grappling with the damage she has wreaked for decades to come.
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Breaking News: Kirstjen Nielsen is out as the homeland security secretary. President Trump blamed her for the rise in migrants entering the U.S. illegally. nyti.ms/2KglAR6
I’m a DOJ alumnus & I’m proud to add my name & stand with other former Justice officials to denounce the appointment of acting AG Matthew Whitaker. bit.ly/2PpODPO
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A resounding bipartisan vote of no confidence in Matthew Whitaker as acting AG. I say, along with colleagues, he must go— & so do 400+ former DOJ officials who served both Republican & Democratic administrations. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil
I’ll vote against Steven Menashi tomorrow in the Judiciary Committee—vehemently & vigorously opposing his nomination. His record is a disgrace. He’d degrade civil rights, the rule of law, & the court itself: a new low among Trump judicial picks.
Hearing the striking audio in the tapes released yesterday actualizes the pardon the President’s lawyer dangled in front of Flynn. Americans deserve to hear & see more—all the evidence making clear the case for obstruction. cnn.com/videos/politic
Journalists in the U.S. are increasingly under attack for broadcasting, reporting, or investigating the truth. & I are working together to pass the Journalist Protection Act to make harming a reporter a federal crime.
Horrifying lies coming from Trump this morning. Blatant denial & disrespect for the 3,000 AMERICANS who lost their lives because of his mismanagement & inaction during Maria. Instead of blaming the people impacted by the Hurricane, take action—help them to rebuild & recover.
One week out from oral arguments in our case to compel the President to obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re seeking to hold President Trump accountable for violating the Foreign Emoluments Clause – the Constitution’s preeminent anti-corruption provision.
Scheduling a vote even before hearing Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony, Senate Republicans have demonstrated the disrespect & disregard that all too frequently shames & silences survivors from ever coming forward.
Why does Congress need to review Barr’s call notes? Check Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
According to Stone indictment (which, FYI, was returned by a grand jury) he has a history of witness tampering & destruction of evidence, & even threatened violence against other witnesses. Under those circumstances, a pre-dawn raid is ENTIRELY in keeping with standard protocol.
Most Americans agree, presidents can be indictable while in office. No constitutional reason precludes it. Justice requires it— & statute of limitations may bar charges if indictment is delayed. One option: charge him & postpone trial.
More chilling & shocking evidence of deeply dangerous foreign threats to our elections—& more reason to declassify the terrifying information given to us in secret briefings over the past few days.
No longer just Cohen versus Trump. AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer, backs Cohen on the record. We now have multiple witnesses saying Trump committed a felony to secure his election.
House Republicans grilled FBI agent Peter Strzok for 11 hours yesterday&found nothing. No smoking gun, no secret agenda. Nothing.
Proud to announce my support for single-payer #MedicareForAll led by . Let's make healthcare a right, not a luxury.