This one is personal, malicious, and without any basis in reality. Trump fabricates a situation that never happened, and says it over and over again.
I would ask for proof that 'Trump fabricated' this situation, which - to my knowledge - was originally reported by Connecticut Newspapers, in Hartford I believe, long before Trump came into the picture. Reporters that followed Blumenthal gave their accounts that his message and statements changed venue to venue and included things that were misleading.
Heck for someone who thinks anything says should always be interpreted as uncharitably as possible, it seems an odd position not to hold Blumenthal to the same standard.
Here is the reality:
Richard Blumenthal, Senator from Connecticut, on two occasions said he served in Vietnam. He was in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1970 to 1976, thus serving during the Vietnam Era, but did not serve in Vietnam.
Here's a fairly neutral account, you'll note that Blumenthal even admits that he has on a "few" occasions mispoke about his service. https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-richard-blumenthal-vietnam-20181001-story.html By the standards you are using in this thread to evaluate Trump that makes it "proof" of his lies, does it not?
Of course, I recommend the original NYT article, in which it is very clear that it's not just "two" occasions. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/nyregion/18blumenthal.html
Now that said, it's unclear from the NYT's whether Trump's claim about him telling war stories is supportable or not, but it certainly sounds possible given the number of times he spoke on the issue, the impression given and his deliberate stories about "when we came back."
That's it. That is the sum total of his statements claiming to serve in Vietnam. News organizations have been looking at this for years. There is nothing else, no allegations of anything else, no accusations of anything else.
As far as I can tell, either your research was completely inadequate, or this just a false representation. I should note, you could also look for CT residents who heard him speak on the topic.
But I agree, I haven't seen any substantiation in the official media about the war stories Trump claimed Blumenthal told.
Seriati,
I would like to have a rational, respectful, fact-based conversation. No personal attacks, no name-calling, no snide remarks or belittlement. When a fact is stated, a source should be provided.
I hope you will do the same.
Let’s start with the facts:
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”
In 2003, he addressed 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,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “Let us do better by this generation of men and women.”
That is two cases where Blumenthal claimed to serve in Vietnam.
Now there is also this:
At a 2008 ceremony in front of the Veterans War Memorial Building in Shelton, he praised the audience for paying tribute to troops fighting abroad, noting that America had not always done so.“I served during the Vietnam era,” he said. “I remember the taunts, the insults, sometimes even physical abuse.”
This is not a case where Blumenthal claimed to serve in Vietnam.
If you can find a third case, please show me the source. As far as I can tell, it is not the New York Times article you posted.
I know that you are busy, and so
if you can provide the source for the third case you insist exists, I will donate $50 to the charity of your choice. Really.
Given those are the only two times he mentioned serving in Vietnam, there is no substantiation, in “official media” or otherwise about the war stories Trump claimed Blumenthal told. Quite the opposite.
The
Washington Post said that Trump’s claim was "littered with falsehoods that veer into ridiculous territory."
The
Hartford Courant called it “utter nonsense”, and “hogwash”.
The
New York Times said Trump was “embellishing the senator’s misdeeds far beyond the truth.”
So we have the facts. I am curious how you came to this conclusion:
it's unclear from the NYT's whether Trump's claim about him telling war stories is supportable or not.
Blumenthal made two statements, “I served in Vietnam”, and “when we returned [from Vietnam]”. Nobody, anywhere, supports Trump’s claim that he said more. (If you can find someone, please let me know). Multiple newspapers (the same ones that did the original reporting) say that Trump’s claim is false. Multiple other sources (provided on request) say that Trump’s claim is false.
Yet you seem to be saying you are unable to determine whether the claim is supportable or not.
What level of evidence do you require for something to be unsupportable? How do you define something as false?
Some clarification- “the situation” you refer to, brought up in 2010, is that Blumenthal made the two statements I quoted. You are absolutely correct - Trump did not fabricate that situation.
But the topic was Trump's DaNang story etc. Trump fabricated that. I just wanted to point out your conflation between the two “situations”.
Yes, Blumenthal said he misspoke about his service a “few” times. Definition of few:
a small number, a handful, one or two, a couple, two or three;
Seriati said
As far as I can tell, either your research was completely inadequate, or this just a false representation.
I think my research was very thorough. I would ask you to provide some evidence to justify your claim.
I repeat my offer of $50 to your favorite charity for sources that support a third statement by Blumenthal that he served in Vietnam.
Still waiting to hear your defense of these claims by Trump:
“And when he got out and when he apologized, he was crying. The tears were all over the place.”
Blumenthal “ actually dropped out of the race, and he won anyway because Democrats always win in Connecticut.”,
Blumenthal’s 12 point victory was “very close, probably the closest ever”