Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), one of the several Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee who baselessly questioned Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth‘s qualifications to run the Pentagon, has long been accused of engaging in stolen valor. The Connecticut Democrat declared at Tuesday’s hearing that Hegseth, tapped by President-elect Donald J. Trump to lead the Department of Defense, is maybe qualified to serve “as the spokesperson for the Pentagon” but not as its chief.
The line of attack, while deployed by multiple Democratic Senators on the panel, was unusual coming from Blumenthal, given the controversies surrounding his own military record. In 2010, while serving as Connecticut’s Attorney General, Blumenthal was exposed for falsely claiming he served in the Vietnam War during his time in the Marine Reserves. However, the Connecticut Demcorat’s military records show no such service. In fact, Blumenthal was safely stationed in Washington, D.C.—nearly 9,000 miles from the conflict.
Stolen Valor Richard Blumenthal — who lied about serving in Vietnam — tells Pete Hegseth he’s not qualified to be defense secretary based on his experience.
He then talks about the need to interview his ex-girlfriends.
What an absolute farce lol. pic.twitter.com/PhxdIXID9v
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 14, 2025
BLUMENTHAL’S STOLEN VALOR.
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam, and you exemplify it,” Blumenthal said during an event in 2008. “Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it—Afghanistan or Iraq—we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”
The comments were part of a larger narrative used by Blumenthal as he geared up for a run for the U.S. Senate to politicize the deeply unpopular Iraq and Afghanistan wars, while deceiving voters regarding his own military service. Blumenthal later claimed he misspoke.
Despite the attempt to wave off the allegations, it was revealed in 2010 that Blumenthal had secured at least five deferments from deployment to Vietnam so that he could complete his academic studies at Harvard University and undertake a graduate program in the United Kingdom. Nearly 60,000 U.S. servicemembers died in the conflict in Southeast Asia.
TRUMP & THE RUSSIA HOAX.
The allegations of stolen valor boiled to the surface again in 2017 during the midst of the Democratic Party’s Russia hoax against then-President Trump. The latter slammed Blumenthal’s false service claims. The Connecticut Democrat served as a key instigator of the fraudulent Russia collusion allegations against Trump.
“Never in U.S. history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like Senator Richard Blumenthal,” Trump wrote in a post on X (then Twitter) in August 2017. The President continued: “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?”
Later, Trump added: “I think Senator Blumenthal should take a nice long vacation in Vietnam, where he lied about his service, so he can at least say he was there.”
