Summary
- President
Trump called for an investigation into Sen. Richard Blumenthal. - Trump
accused Blumenthal of lying about his military service in Vietnam. - Blumenthal
admitted to misspeaking but clarified he served in Marine Reserves.
Blumenthal has acknowledged that on several occasions, he
“misspoke” about serving in Vietnam.
Shortly after Trump made a social media post on him, he
appeared on CNN with Kaitlan Collins.
“This guy shouldn’t even be in the U.S. Senate,”
Trump said
on TruthSocial.
“It should be investigated, and Justice should be sought.”
“I served in the reserves, and I referred to my service in
Vietnam on a handful, just a couple of occasions, rather than during Vietnam,”
Blumenthal said.
Trump’s remarks after a contentious exchange between
Blumenthal and Attorney General Pam Bondi during a Capitol Hill hearing.
Trump said
that other elected politicians were imprisoned for lying during the campaign,
apparently in reference to former Long Island Congressman George Santos.
“Right now, there is a Congressman sitting in prison for
lying about his past during a campaign,”
Trump said.
“Well, those lies were
nothing compared to those of Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the
greatest phony in the history of the United States Senate.”
Trump has already criticized Blumenthal for misrepresenting
his service record. He began referring to Blumenthal as “Da Nang
Dick” in 2017.
Blumenthal isn’t concerned about what Trump was saying,
“except that it is just so completely deceptive and distorted,” he said.
What legal grounds exist for probing a senator’s past
statements?
Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution on the Speech
or Debate Clause gives immunity to Congress members regarding the questioning
of their legislative acts, which is broadly interpreted to include speeches,
debates, and any official investigations in carrying out the legislative
function.
The immunity afforded by Article I, Section 6 does not apply
to things that are not legislative acts or statements made outside the course
of proceedings of Congress. For example, statements made to the public,
statements made while campaigning, or behavior while not discharging the
legislative function are not protected from inquiry or legal consequence.
The U.S. Senate has investigatory authority and can conduct
hearings or investigations about the conduct of its members as it relates to
ethics or legal standards.
