MSNBC host Chris Matthews let Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) slide Thursday on lying about his military record in Vietnam, saying the issue has been resolved and handled well by the senator.
"Well that Vietnam thing aside, well, I think that was resolved very well by you years ago," Matthews said before moving on from the topic.
The MSNBC host made the comment after playing clips of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer responding to reports that President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, told Blumenthal that the president's disparaging comments against the judiciary are "disheartening."
Blumenthal has called for Gorsuch's background to be "closely scrutinized," despite his own issues with credibility. It was revealed during Blumenthal's 2010 Senate race that he had been lying for decades about fighting in the Vietnam War, the Washington Free Beacon reported Wednesday.
Blumenthal's own credibility has been called into question since he entered public life. When Blumenthal first ran for the Senate in 2010, the New York Times revealed that he had lied for years about fighting in the Vietnam War. Blumenthal repeatedly touted his supposed combat experience in speeches to veterans groups and civic organizations, saying he had "served in Vietnam."
However, a review of his military records revealed that he procured five deferments from the military before joining the Marine Reserve. During the war he traveled as far west as Washington, where he helped the Toys for Tots program, but never saw actual combat.