Richard Blumenthal’s Tough Guy Act Gets

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spent Thursday morning telling anybody who would pay attention that he wouldn’t 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 appeared aimed at the senator’s controversial past claims of service in Vietnam.

Amazing.

The enjoyable all started Wednesday, when Aaron Reitz, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, posted a letter ordering Blumenthal and his employees, consultants, and marketing campaign people to protect their information. Blumenthal has been going after non-public donors to President Trump’s White House ballroom, and Reitz accused him of threatening residents for associating with the President.

Reitz said the senator was utilizing Congress’s energy as a “weapon” to harass donors and instructed 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 can’t 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 man are spectacular. Demanding a response from a federal prosecutor takes a sure je ne sais quoi. You can virtually visualize the senator hitting “post” and leaning back in his chair as if declaring checkmate.

Tough man. He must be combat-hardened or one thing. More on that in a minute.

Reitz did not 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 deadly blow.

@SenBlumenthal Received. Valid investigations must be carried out for a legit legislative goal. I imagine that your threatenings might represent the initiation of unconstitutional investigations carried out for causes other than a legit legislative goal. Semper Fidelis.

— U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz (@USAttyReitz) November 12, 2026

Blumenthal acquired his affirmation, but his own argument got here back to chew him. To be clear, Reitz’s declare that the senator’s investigation could also be unconstitutional is his perception, and it could or might not be a menace with tooth. 

But Blumenthal requested for an reply, and he acquired one.

Then there’s that sign-off: “Semper Fidelis.” 

Blumenthal served stateside in the Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam period. 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,” without end awarding him the nickname Da Nang Dick.

If Blumenthal hoped anyone would tag in and help him out with Reitz, Attorney General Todd Blanche squashed that thought at a DOJ press convention later that day. A reporter requested why a Texas U.S. Attorney was handling the matter and whether or not management had signed off.

Q: Regarding the letter that the U.S. Attorney despatched ordering Senator Blumenthal to save his information, are you able to clarify why a Texas U.S. Attorney can be investigating that and whether or not 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 does not “oversee every single thing that’s done.” 

He added that DOJ management is “working with every U.S. Attorney, including U.S. Attorney Reitz,” on “ongoing investigations.” He did not say whether or not any of them contain Blumenthal.

Either manner, Blanche made no transfer to throw Reitz under the bus.

Poor Richard. He demanded a receipt and acquired a receipt, a lesson on the Constitution, a not-so-subtle reminder of his Vietnam scandal, and an attorney common who insisted the prosecutor he tried to play powerful man with is “great.” 

Dick is no doubt sitting at his keyboard again, making an attempt to come up with a better comeback. He has a better likelihood of getting a fight service award for his days in Vietnam.

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