At a hearing Tuesday, Blumenthal plans to press Zuckerberg to commit to broad changes to protect user privacy, including requiring users to “opt in” rather than “opt out” of tracking by data-mining companies. Blumenthal also wants Facebook users to be able to see all the information collected about them.
Senate Judiciary Committee
Posted inPolitics
Murphy joins growing Democratic chorus urging Franken to resign
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Wednesday joined more than half the Senate’s Democrats in calling on Sen. Al Franken to resign, a movement that picked up steam after a sixth woman accused the Minnesota Democrat of improper sexual advances. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he is withholding comment until Franken makes a scheduled announcement Thursday.
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Blumenthal asks Twitter, Facebook, about fake ads in Russian troll probe
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday asked Twitter and Facebook executives what they knew about specific attempts by Russian trolls to disseminate information through fake ads and stories, and received little response. Facebook says as many as 126 million people may have seen content from accounts tied to Russian sources.
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Sessions tells Blumenthal he’s had no contact from Mueller in Russia probe
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Attorney General Jeff Sessions played a game of political cat and mouse Wednesday during a Senate Judiciary oversight hearing, with the Democratic senator pressing Sessions on whether he’d been contacted for questioning by special counsel Robert Mueller. Blumenthal finally got a no from Sessions.
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Blumenthal pans Donald Trump Jr.’s testimony in Senate Russia probe
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal listened to Donald Trump Jr. testify for five hours in a closed-door Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday, but says he’s not satisfied with the responses. He said the president’s eldest son “raised more questions than he answered.”
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal: Raid on Manafort home indicates ‘probable cause’ of criminality
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday said an FBI raid on New Britain native Paul Manafort’s home last month is an indication of criminal wrongdoing. Manafort is a key figure in the investigation into whether there are any ties between the Trump campaign and Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential elections.
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Blumenthal: Let Judiciary panel take crack at close-mouthed Sessions
Washington – Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee had plenty of questions for Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday, but few were answered. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who was not on the panel, said he wants a chance to to try to wrest information from the close-mouthed attorney general.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal presses Gorsuch on key cases, but judge won’t be pinned down
WASHINGTON — On Day 3 of the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Neil Gorsuch, Sen. Richard Blumenthal tried to do what other Democrats have tried, and failed, to do – pin down the nominee’s opinion on a hot-button issue. Gorsuch deftly avoided giving his views – and Blumenthal said it leaves doubt in the minds of Americans about the nominee.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal to grill Gorsuch on independence from Trump
WASHINGTON — While showing sympathy for the embattled nominee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Monday laid out his strategy for questioning Judge Neil Gorsuch, saying he would press him on his relationship with the man who appointed him to the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump.
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CT lawmakers grow louder in criticisms of Sessions
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions has agreed to recuse himself in any Justice Department investigation of ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, but that’s not good enough for Rep. Jim Himes, who on Friday joined other Connecticut lawmakers in calling for Session’s resignation.
Posted inJustice
Blumenthal: ‘Serious concerns’ about Gorsuch for Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Within moments of President Donald Trump’s announcement of Colorado Judge Neil Gorsuch as his candidate to fill an open seat on the Supreme Court, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he had “serious concerns” about the nominee.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal joins bitter partisan scrape over Sessions
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday in calling for a rejection of Sen. Jeff Sessions as the next U.S. Attorney General. Democrats pushed the committee vote on the nomination to Wednesday.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal calls Sessions hostile to civil rights, will oppose confirmation
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Thursday that he will oppose the confirmation of fellow Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general because his colleague from Alabama has a record that “reflects a hostility and antipathy and downright opposition to civil rights.”
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Blumenthal vows to grill Sessions on gun stance
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Sessions will face scrutiny on his civil rights, immigration and reproductive health issues during his confirmation hearing on his nomination to be the next U.S. attorney general, but Sen. Richard Blumenthal also plans to ask the Alabama lawmaker about this record on gun issues.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal tells Sessions to abstain from voting on his own confirmation
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday told Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate to be the next U.S. attorney general, that he should not vote on his confirmation – or that of other cabinet candidates.
