Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spent Thursday morning telling anyone who would listen that he would not be intimidated by a Texas federal prosecutor. No, sir.
By that afternoon, however, that same prosecutor had answered him with a constitutional warning and a sign-off that seemed aimed at the senator's controversial past claims of service in Vietnam.
Amazing.
The fun all began Wednesday, when Aaron Reitz, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, posted a letter ordering Blumenthal and his staff, consultants, and campaign people to preserve their records. Blumenthal has been going after private donors to President Trump's White House ballroom, and Reitz accused him of threatening citizens for associating with the President.
Reitz said the senator was using Congress's power as a "weapon" to harass donors and suggested he was "taking the first step to stop this abuse of power.”
Blumenthal answered with his own letter. In it, he called himself the "incoming Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations" and ordered Reitz to preserve his records and acknowledge receipt of his letter by 6 PM Thursday.
"I will not be intimidated," he declared.
This investigation into me for conducting a congressional inquiry is just the latest in a series of unlawful actions on the part of the Trump Admin attempting to intimidate Members of Congress for engaging in constitutionally protected activity. 1/ https://t.co/vrOvioHtC2
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) November 12, 2026
The stones on this guy are impressive. Demanding a response from a federal prosecutor takes a certain je ne sais quoi. You can almost visualize the senator hitting "post" and leaning back in his chair as if declaring checkmate.
Tough guy. He must be combat-hardened or something. More on that in a minute.
Reitz didn't take long to fire back.
"Received," he wrote.
"Valid investigations must be conducted for a legitimate legislative purpose," Reitz countered. "I believe that your threatenings may constitute the initiation of unconstitutional investigations conducted for reasons other than a legitimate legislative purpose."
Then, the fatal blow.
@SenBlumenthal Received. Valid investigations must be conducted for a legitimate legislative purpose. I believe that your threatenings may constitute the initiation of unconstitutional investigations conducted for reasons other than a legitimate legislative purpose. Semper Fidelis.
— U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz (@USAttyReitz) November 12, 2026
Blumenthal got his confirmation, but his own argument came back to bite him. To be clear, Reitz's claim that the senator's investigation may be unconstitutional is his belief, and it may or may not be a threat with teeth.
But Blumenthal asked for an answer, and he got one.
Then there's that sign-off: "Semper Fidelis."
Blumenthal served stateside in the Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam era. In 2010, The New York Times reported that he had spoken of "the days that I served in Vietnam," though he never went.
He later said he had "misspoken," forever awarding him the nickname Da Nang Dick.
If Blumenthal was hoping somebody would tag in and help him out with Reitz, Attorney General Todd Blanche squashed that idea at a DOJ press conference later that day. A reporter asked why a Texas U.S. Attorney was handling the matter and whether leadership had signed off.
Q: Regarding the letter that the U.S. Attorney sent ordering Senator Blumenthal to save his records, can you explain why a Texas U.S. Attorney would be investigating that and whether main justice signed off on that? Blanche: https://t.co/dYt17SxMkc
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 12, 2026
"Any office could investigate that," Blanche said, calling Reitz "a great U.S. Attorney" and noting that he doesn't "oversee every single thing that's done."
He added that DOJ leadership is "working with every U.S. Attorney, including U.S. Attorney Reitz," on "ongoing investigations." He didn't say whether any of them involve Blumenthal.
Either way, Blanche made no move to throw Reitz under the bus.
Poor Richard. He demanded a receipt and got a receipt, a lesson on the Constitution, a not-so-subtle reminder of his Vietnam scandal, and an attorney general who insisted the prosecutor he tried to play tough guy with is "great."
Dick is no doubt sitting at his keyboard again, trying to come up with a better comeback. He has a better chance of getting a combat service award for his days in Vietnam.
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