Richard Blumenthal is a Democratic U.S. senator from Connecticut, first elected in 2010 and reelected in 2016 and 2022. He was Connecticut's attorney general from 1991 to 2011 and U.S. attorney for Connecticut from 1977 to 1981, and he served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 1970 to 1976.
We have documented statements by Richard Blumenthal on 2026 Midterm Elections, Artificial Intelligence, and Education, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.
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At a Hartford media briefing on the day Massie moved to force a House vote, Blumenthal said impeachment of Hegseth should begin that day and that Republicans faced an immediate test.
“I think we should begin impeachment today of Pete Hegseth, that's where we should begin”
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Connecticut, speaking at an Election Day event in New Haven
Condemned
Statement summary
At an Election Day event in New Haven, Blumenthal describes the visits of federal election monitors to local polling places as federal interference and tells the monitors they are not needed in the city or the state.
“We don't need you in New Haven. We don't need you in Connecticut”
The case asks whether DOJ should send election monitors to all 50 states. Blumenthal calls the monitors' polling-place visits federal interference by the Trump administration and says New Haven and Connecticut do not need them.
Blumenthal says Google is putting profits over people by blocking schools from Google Search unless they opt into its AI, and is more concerned with pushing Gemini into schools than with helping students succeed.
“Google is once again prioritizing profits over people—this time blocking schools from using Google Search unless they opt into their A.I. overview. Clearly, the Tech Giant is more concerned with forcing Gemini into schools than enabling students to succeed”
The reference point is Google's school access policy for Search and its AI tools. Blumenthal says Google is prioritizing profits over people and forcing Gemini into schools, which expressly criticizes the policy.
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Connecticut, writing to the managing director of Eastern Mediterranean Maritime
Condemned
Statement summary
In an October 27 letter to the owner of the Agioi Fanendes, Sen. Richard Blumenthal says a presidential license cannot make a Russian diesel delivery legal and that only Congress can. He urges the company to recall the tanker.
“The President may have given a license to facilitate this transaction, but only Congress can make it legally valid.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)gCaptain: Blumenthal demands that a Russian diesel tanker turn aroundFull article, October 28, 2026
Why we used this label
The case asks whether the U.S. should ease sanctions on Russian diesel to lower fuel prices. Blumenthal argues that the license cannot override the 2022 import ban and asks the shipowner to turn back, which rejects the easing.
Role at the time: Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations ranking member
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Richard Blumenthal raises concerns about undisclosed ballroom donors and seeks records about solicitations, promised benefits and contacts with the 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.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Blumenthal Presses Secret White House Ballroom Donors After New Details Emerge About $330 Million Fundraising Campaign for Trump's Pet ProjectOpening announcement and reproduced letter to Marc Benioff
Why we used this label
The reference is private funding of the ballroom by parties with government interests. Blumenthal criticizes the arrangement as presenting possible conflicts, without declaring corruption proved.
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Connecticut; signatory to the joint October 15 letter
Condemned
Statement summary
Richard Blumenthal signed a joint letter with eight other senators requesting an inspector-general investigation into reported Starshield restrictions and intelligence-warning disruptions in Ukraine. The letter questions Defense Department oversight and asks whether government or contractor decisions contributed.
“Any restrictions on these capabilities, particularly without advance notification, raise serious questions about the Department of Defense’s contractual oversight and its responsibility to ensure continuity of essential services.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Nine senators request an investigation of Ukraine communications disruptionsPages 1-2: concerns and investigation requests; page 3: nine signatures
Why we used this label
The reference point is the restriction and its oversight. The signers criticize the lack of notice and question the Department of Defense response. Their investigation request leaves the cause and responsible officials unresolved.
Role at the time: U.S. Senator from Connecticut and a sponsor of the Russia sanctions law, in a post on X
Condemned
Statement summary
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel is an embarrassment and makes the United States complicit in Putin's war against Ukraine.
“The President’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel is an embarrassment & makes us complicit in Putin’s war against Ukraine.”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Sen. Richard Blumenthal's post on lifting sanctions on Russian diesel (X post) · Richard BlumenthalFull post, Oct. 9, 2026, 5:04 p.m. EDT.
Why we used this label
The case asks whether the U.S. should ease sanctions on Russian diesel to lower fuel prices, as the administration did on October 9. Blumenthal calls the decision "an embarrassment" that "makes us complicit" in Russia's war against Ukraine. That opposes the easing, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because the post contains no support for the decision.
Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker and Alex Padilla wrote to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on October 5, 2026, asking DHS to suspend field duties for ICE officers hired in the 2025 surge until background checks and training are complete. The letter states that agents rammed Durán Guerrero's vehicle and fired through it in Biddeford, and that such killings show surge hires did not receive adequate instruction in use-of-force standards.
“On July 13, 2026, an ICE officer in Biddeford, Maine fatally shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old father, in his car after agents rammed his vehicle and fired multiple rounds through it while executing a warrant for someone else. Mr. Durán Guerrero was not the target of the operation and was authorized to work in the United States. ... These killings, combined with the whistleblower's account of corners cut on both vetting and training, make clear that officers hired during the surge did not receive adequate instruction in de-escalation, use-of-force standards, and vehicle-stop protocols before being sent into communities with the authority to use deadly force.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Booker, Blumenthal, Padilla Urge Secretary Mullin to Immediately Remove ICE Officers Hired Without Background ChecksOctober 5 release: paragraphs naming Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, followed by demands to suspend field duties pending background checks and training.
Why we used this label
The case asks whether the ICE officer was justified in shooting Durán Guerrero. The letter Blumenthal signed says agents rammed Durán Guerrero's vehicle and fired through it while he was not the operation's target, and says such killings show surge hires lacked adequate use-of-force instruction. That criticizes the use of deadly force, so we labeled it Condemned. Mixed or conditional is the closest competing label; it loses because the letter sets no condition on that criticism.
Google says its school controls increase choice. Sanders says schools rejecting AI would lose Search, and Mamdani accuses Google of trying to use monopoly power to impose AI. The dispute concerns how much choice the policy gives schools.
Musk says Washington controls Starshield limits. Dixon argues SpaceX still bears responsibility. Ukrainian officials and U.S. lawmakers criticize the October restrictions and seek answers about who authorized them.
Trump said Russia would supply millions of tons of diesel after a call with Putin, and Treasury authorized Russian diesel imports until April 2027. Zelenskyy and lawmakers in both parties objected.
DOJ plans election monitoring in every state and calls it routine enforcement work. The NAACP questions the program's authority and risks to voters, and seeks records through a FOIA lawsuit.
Hegseth confirmed a 20% reduction in general and admiral positions, with a January 1, 2027 deadline. He defended the changes as accountability; senators questioned their military justification and scope.
EFF and Senator Richard Blumenthal call DraftKings' alleged AI promotion targeting exploitative. The company denies targeting customers based on losses or gambling-risk indicators. Massachusetts regulators are reviewing operators' AI use.
Umar Kremlev, a Putin-linked Russian businessman, helped fund Trump Jr.'s wedding celebration. Trump first denied knowing Kremlev, then called it "totally allowed" and said he was repaid. Sen. John Curtis now wants Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden subpoenaed over family financial benefit.
Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
Michigan gubernatorial candidate John James said FBI Director Kash Patel privately told him the FBI would have a presence in Michigan before Election Day. Questioned at a Senate hearing, Patel neither confirmed nor denied it.
An ICE officer fatally shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during a Biddeford vehicle stop. Officials said his car moved toward the officer; the available public footage does not resolve the decisive moment.
Trump's administration defends new USPS ballot-mail requirements as anti-fraud controls. Read the rule, challenges to its authority and the Supreme Court's September 14 decision leaving a temporary block in place.
An issue tracker recording where members of Congress and 2026 midterm candidates stand on the unauthorized Iran war, based on their votes on war-powers resolutions, campaign statements, and public remarks.
