Blumenthal Threatens Donors But the Justice Department Noticed
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is the Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI). He sent intimidating, frightening letters to people. Their only crime was helping build the new White House ballroom. Without any evidence, Stolen Valor Blumenthal said there might have been pay-to-play. Do you know that Levrentiy Beria did the same thing to help Stalin destroy his opponents? However, he got his and so will Dick. A U.S. Department of Justice attorney sent him a letter in response, and he had best pay attention.
In a letter to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Blumenthal wrote:
“Recent reporting reveals that you have contributed $1 million and your company has contributed approximately $2 million to the President’s centerpiece vanity project. I have previously written to dozens of companies and individuals who have given millions to the ballroom. Many have apparently attempted to keep their contributions secret, and have deep financial, business, or other personal interests before the Trump Administration.”
“The aggressive fundraising push by the President’s advisors suggests possible conflicts of interest and even corruption, and raises questions that Americans deserve to have answered. Particularly, what promises may have been made in exchange for substantial donations and why donors chose to remain anonymous.” …
In letters to Benioff and other previously undisclosed donors, including Charlie Ergen, Co-Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of Echostar Corporation; Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco Systems; Bill McDermott, Chairman and CEO of ServiceNow; the Paul E. Singer Foundation; Arjun Sethi, Co-CEO of Kraken; Jeff Miller, founder of Miller Strategies; Ambassador Joseph Popolo Jr.; Max Haot, CEO of Vast Space; Sam Garrison, Chairperson of Honest Leadership Coalition; Connie S. Smith, President of SCS Smith Family Foundation; Tony and Maria Sayegh; Jason Miller; and Isabela Herrera, Blumenthal sought records, documents, and communications related to the donors’ contributions to the White House ballroom.
It’s especially intimidating since Democrats will control Congress in January.
Back At Ya
A top federal prosecutor warned Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to preserve records related to his investigations into the donors funding President Trump’s White House ballroom project, accusing the senator of using congressional oversight to harass private citizens.
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Aaron Reitz, alleged in a letter to Blumenthal that his investigation equated to threatening “citizens for associating themselves with the President and other public officials.”
The White House warned congressional Democrats on Wednesday that efforts to investigate the administration could be a crime.
In a post on X with a copy of the letter attached, Reitz equated Blumenthal’s investigation examining anonymous donors for the roughly $330 million ballroom with wielding Congress as a “weapon” against Americans. That is true since there is no predicate of a crime.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, the second-highest-ranking official at the Justice Department, responded to Reitz’s post. He said, “The First Amendment expressly prohibits Congress from infringing the speech and association rights of Americans.”
DOJ will defend against threats to those rights, period,” McCotter wrote.
The media says prosecutor Reitz is threatening, but not Blumenthal. The media is lying.
Blumenthal said he will not be “intimidated.” Good, then preserve everything, Dick.
As M.A. Rothman writes: Blumenthal wanted the donors to feel the heat before he even had the gavel, and the Justice Department just reminded him that the First Amendment applies to people who back Trump, too.
More information here.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
