Vets at Rally Say They Weren't Supporting Blumenthal
AP
Vets at a rally for Richard Blumenthal last week say they didn't know he wasn't going to apologize, and never would have allowed him to use the VFW hall had they known that.
Democratic Senate nominee Richard Blumenthal has apologized for implying on several occasions that he had served in the Vietnam War when, in fact, he had not.
"I want to say I made a mistake and I'm sorry to anyone who may have been offended," Blumenthal said Monday.
The release of a tape recording made in 2008 in Norwalk in which Blumenthal said he had served in the war created a firestorm last week.
Last Tuesday, he appeared at the VFW hall in West Hartford and said he had misspoken. But he did not apologize at that event.
The commander at VFW Post 9929. John Schmidt , said had he known that Blumenthal would not apologize at the event, he would not have allowed the hall to be used for the Blumenthal rally.
He said it gave the impression the Post was supporting Blumenthal but he told NBCConnecticut no war veterans in the Post were supporting him.
Blumenthal's apology first went to the Hartford Courant in a prepared statement Sunday night.
That triggered a statement by Republican State Chairman Christopher Healy, who said that rather than face the truth and admit it when he had the chance last Tuesday, Blumenthal took the easy way out, hoping that no one would notice on a Sunday night.
He called Blumenthal "pathetic" and not worthy of any elective office.
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