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Teen Charged With Sex Assault at Torrington High School

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A 17-year-old boy is accused of sexually assaulting a student at Torrington High School in December and has been arrested.

Police arrested the teen on April 18, but said the sexual assault happened in the high school, after hours, around Dec. 6 and the students knew each other.

The 17-year-old has been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree criminal attempt to commit sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor with sexual contact.

Supt. Denise Clemons released a statement Thursday, saying Torrington Public Schools recently learned of an alleged on-campus assault on a student.

She said the school department and police have investigated and the state Department of Children and Families has been notified.

“In addition, given the serious nature of these allegations, we cooperated fully with the police investigation and contacted DCF,” Clemons said in a statement.

“In closing, we wish to assure all members of the Torrington school community that the safety of our children is the District’s foremost concern and there are many policies and procedures in place to ensure the well-being of all our children,” the statement says.

Citing federal laws, the school district says they won’t and cannot comment on the discipline of any individual student.





Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

After 11 Months the Drought Has Officially Ended

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NBC Connecticut meteorologists are pleased to report that the drought has officially ended.

The National Weather Service announced this morning that the entire state is drought free. There is still a small portion of central and northwest Connecticut that is experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions.

The drought started in June of last year. 

At the height of the drought some parts of the state were experiencing a rainfall deficit of nearly 20 inches.

By November of last year nearly have of the state was placed in "extreme drought" conditions which is only one category below the worst "exceptional drought".

The drought was so extreme that is lead Gov. Dannel Malloy to issue the first ever drought watch for six counties of the state.

The winter and early spring season have brought a healthy supply of precipitation to the state.

From December 1st to date, Hartford has seen 18.22 inches of precipitation. This is slightly above average with the average being 18 inches.

So what does this mean? Many of the reservoirs are back within normal operating levels. Homeowner can also breathe a sigh of relief as this should alleviate any issues with home wells. 


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Man Followed Girls to School in New Haven: Police

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New Haven police arrested a man accused of following two girls as they walked to school this morning. 

The 10- and 12-year-old girls alerted school officials as they arrived at the front steps to the Ross Woodward School on Barnes Avenue, according to police. 

Police have charged 39-year-old Khamphat Phetchampa, of Donna Drive in New Haven, with two counts of risk of injury to a minor. 

Police said they are investigating the man’s motives for repeatedly trying to talk to the girls. 

The girls were not hurt and police said he did not try to harm them.

School officials said the students did the right think by going to school and not engaging with the adult and school security and administrators did the right thing by immediately protecting the students and reporting the incident to police.



Photo Credit: New Haven Police and NBCConnecticut.com

Crews Responding to Rollover on I-84 in Tolland

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Emergency crews have responded to a rollover crash that is causing delays on Interstate 84 in Tolland.

The crash is near exit 68 and Tolland Alert Tweeted that the vehicle was going west and rolled over to the eastbound side of the highway.

No additional information was immediately available.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Connecticut Man Seen Harassing Muslim Family in Viral Video

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A video of a Connecticut man seen berating a Muslim family vacationing off the coast of Texas has gone viral.

The video, shows the man, who police confirmed is Alexander Downing, of Waterford, yelling and cursing at the family on a beach on South Padre Island, Texas.

The incident happened on May 3.

Downing, 35, can be heard on the video saying "Donald Trump will stop you" and "Donald Trump is my f***ing president."

While the video doesn't show how the incident began, the woman who posted it to YouTube described the events in the post and said her father was approached by two women who asked for his help in talking to a stranger who was harassing him.

"All my father said to the guy was 'please enjoy your time and have fun and let everyone else here enjoy their time,'" Noria Alward said in her post. "The guy seemed to listen and walked away. He then came back to my father and started throwing racist comments," she said.

The family called police, but by the time officers arrived, Downing left the beach. He returned after the officers were gone, Alward said.

"We went back to playing in the water and sand then the insane man came back with even more aggressiveness and more racial slurs," Alward said.

The family called police again, who arrested Downing a short time later.

Downing was charged with public intoxication.



Photo Credit: South Padre Island Police
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AG Jepsen Says He Does Not Plan to Run for Governor

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Attorney General George Jepsen will not run for Connecticut governor in 2018. 

Several people have expressed interest in running, especially after Gov. Dannel Malloy said he will not seek re-election. 

Jepsen, who is serving his second term as Attorney General, made the announcement this morning when he was on WPLR’s morning radio with, Chaz and AJ. 

“I believe very strongly that the responsibilities of the Office of the Attorney General are of the greatest importance,” Jepsen said. “My family and I have considered very carefully the decision of whether to explore a campaign for governor. Any campaign, but especially a gubernatorial campaign, is a commitment not to be taken lightly, and I am lucky to have always had the support of my family for my career in public service. But ultimately, it is my respect for the Office of the Attorney General that has led me to the decision to end any speculation today and announce that I will not be entering the 2018 gubernatorial race. 

He said he will make a decision about whether he’ll seek reelection in 2018 sometime in the coming months. 

Jepsen, the former Democratic State Party chairman, was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2002. 

Westport to Hold Hearing on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

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Town officials in Westport will be discussing medical marijuana dispensaries next week. 

The Westport planning and zoning commission is scheduled on May 18 to review an amendment that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries in commercial districts as long as they are located 1,000 feet away from schools, day care centers, parks, public buildings and houses of worship. 

See the full amendment online. 

The public hearing will be at 7 p.m. on May 18 in Westport Town Hall Auditorium. The commission can receive written comments from the public prior to the hearing, but no additional information or comments will be accepted once the hearing is closed.





Photo Credit: NBC Washington

Teen Killed, Man Injured in Officer-Involved Shooting in Bridgeport

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A 15-year-old boy is dead and a 21-year-old man is seriously injured following an officer-involved shooting in Bridgeport Tuesday evening, according to state police.

Bridgeport police initiated a pursuit after spotting a stolen vehicle outside Walgreens Tuesday evening, according to state police. During the chase, the stolen vehicle hit several cars along Fairfield Avenue and the pursuit ended with a shooting on Fairfield Avenue, near Park Avenue, just after 5 p.m.

Bridgeport Officer James Boulay opened fire when the stolen vehicle accelerated in reverse and hit an officer, according to state police.

The driver of the vehicle, 15-year-old Jayson Negron, was killed and a passenger, identified as 21-year-old Julian Fyffe, of Bridgeport, was shot in the shoulder.

Two Bridgeport police officers also sustained minor injuries, according to Connecticut State Police.

Boulay has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Following the incident, the Bridgeport Police Department contacted the State's Attorney's office and state police to conduct a full and independent investigation into the shooting. 

The Bridgeport police chief has also ordered an internal adminstrative review of the incident 

"While I have a zero-tolerance policy for police officer malfeasance and misconduct, I continue to stand strongly behind the good and brave men and women of the Bridgeport Police Department," Perez said. "Whenever there is a serious injury or loss of life we are all as a community deeply saddened." 

Fyffe’s mother, Edris Lomax, said her son told her police blocked the car in and pulled guns on them and her son and the other suspect were trying to get out of the car to surrender when they were shot.

“The door just wouldn’t open. He was trying. Then they’re still yelling, ‘Get out the car, put your hands up’ and he was like, ‘What do you want me to do, put my hands up or get out of the car?” Lomax said.

Lomax said her son did not know the car was stolen and had never been in trouble before. She also said she thought Bridgeport police were wrong in the way they handled the situation.

“I’m seeking justice for my son because this shouldn’t have happened. There were other ways y’all could have did, y’all could have stopped them. You had them trapped already in the car. What was the point of them being shot?,” Lomax asked.

A crowd gathered at the scene Tuesday night to protest the actions of the officer who opened fire. A second vigil is scheduled for Wednesday night.

At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Joseph Ganim called the incident a tragedy and pledged transparency and communication during the investigation. He said the tragedy affected all of Bridgeport.

“It’s a big city. It’s Connecticut’s biggest city, but it’s a close community,” Ganim said.

Ganim and Chief Armando Perez addressed concerns that the deceased suspect’s body remained uncovered for some time while Bridgeport police waited for the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s office, state police and the medical examiner to take over the scene.

Perez said the officer fired his gun because he feared for his life after he alleges Negron backed the car into him and almost pinned him underneath.

“We are depending on the state’s attorney and state police to provide an open and transparent investigation to resolve this matter,” Perez said.

Ganim and Perez both said they would work to streamline the process so something similar does not happen again.

Community advocates and faith leaders called for transparency and cooperation between officials and the community and asked that people put aside any animosity toward law enforcement. Advocates asked the community to channel their anger into something productive rather than taking it out on police and called for a focus on community-based policing going forward.

A rally started at 6 p.m. Wednesday where hundreds of people gathered with candles and balloons they released. They prayed together and said they wanted an explanation for the teen's death.

“You talk to me because that’s a child!” A woman who said she is Negon's aunt exclaimed. "I don't get it!"

“We have questions. We need answers. Yes," people chanted.

Gov. Dannel Malloy released the following statement:

“When the use of force by law enforcement officers results in the loss of life, justice is best served when the incident is reviewed by objective and independent entities. That is why in 2015, I signed a bill into law aimed at increasing accountability and transparency by expanding the reporting and investigation requirements in such instances. It is appropriate that Office of the State’s Attorney and the Connecticut State Police have assumed their respective responsibilities in the review of the shooting that occurred last night in Bridgeport. The State of Connecticut is committed to ensuring an open and independent investigation to determine the facts of this case. With that said, a young man lost his life last night and I am deeply saddened by this reality. I am sensitive to the concerns of all those impacted by this incident and ask for patience from members of the community as the independent reviews are being conducted.”

Detectives from the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime unit are investigating at the request of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, which is standard for a police-involved shooting.

Officials said during the news conference that the officer who fire his gun has been with the police department for a year.

Anyone with information is asked to contact state police by texting TIP711 and any information to 274637. Tips will remain confidential.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story said the teen was 16 years old but police have sent out a correction on the boy's age.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

20-Year-Old in New Britain Accused of Trafficking, Sexual Assault

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A 20-year-old in New Britain is accused of trafficking teen and sexually assaulting her. 

Miguel Pagan was arrested on Tuesday for trafficking persons, aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping with a fire arm and risk of injury to children by sexual contact. 

Police said the 14-year-old victim knows Pagan. 

A report was made to the New Britain Police Department on April 7. 

No other information is being released since the case is sealed and ongoing. 



Photo Credit: New Britain Police Department

Patients Beg for Pricey Drugs on Facebook Black Market

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Desperate patients are swapping pricey pharmaceutical drugs on Facebook, NBC News reported.

NBC News searched Facebook and found postings to trade insulins, EpiPens, asthma inhalers and other prescription medications.

"If it weren't for the online diabetes community I would be dead," said Amy Leyendecker, a 43-year-old medical transcription student from Kentucky living with Type-1 diabetes who requires daily doses of insulin to stay alive.

Doctors say patients like Leyendecker take a big gamble.

"Patients can put themselves in grave danger by using insulin 'traded' online," said Dr. Joshua Miller, medical director of diabetes care at Stony Brook Medicine, running the risk of infection, or fluctuating blood sugar levels if the insulin was expired or stored incorrectly.



Photo Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

Experts: Trump’s Alleged Conversations With Comey Improper

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Legal experts say President Donald Trump’s statement that he had conversations with former FBI Director James Comey regarding the bureau’s Russia investigation could be improper, NBC News reported.

Former federal prosecutors and government ethics experts said the pair should never discuss pending investigations — at least in the manner Trump described during an interview Thursday with NBC News’ Lester Holt. Experts say the alleged conversations raise concerns about potential intimidation and conflicts of interest.

Trump told NBC News he spoke with Comey on three occasions, during which the former director told him he was not under investigation as part of the agency’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.



Photo Credit: Kent Nishimura/The Denver Post via Getty Images, File

Rollover Crash on Route 2 in Marlborough

Officer in Deadly Bridgeport Police Shooting Identified

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Bridgeport Police Chief AJ Perez identified the officer who fired his gun during Tuesday’s shooting that killed a teenager as James Boulay.

“My heart and my soul goes out to that family,” Chief Perez said. “That should never have happened, that’s a tragedy in our city.”

Two days after the shooting on Fairfield Avenue, Amani Young still can’t believe his friend 15-year-old Jayson Negron is gone.

“About a week ago, that’s the last time we was in the studio,” Young said at Negron’s memorial.

Young said he was Negron’s music manager and that they spent a lot of time together in the recording studio.

“He has a lot of unreleased music and videos that hasn’t been put out yet,” Young said, “We are going to show you that this kid was a different kid, this right here that they got him portrayed as man that’s not him bro, not him at all.”

Boulay had no previous record of discipline, Perez told NBC Connecticut.

“He’s a good officer,” Perez said. “He’s been here for a little over a year now.”

While state police and a state’s attorney in Waterbury will make the ultimate determination whether Boulay’s use of force was justified, Perez said based on preliminary information the officer acted in accordance with the law and department procedures.

“What happened is he was holding on to the door like this and when the vehicle went forward and backwards he got caught underneath and he thought he was going to get run over,” Perez said. “So he pulled his gun and shot him.”

Boulay also shot 21-year-old Julian Fyffe, the passenger in the car police said was stolen and had turned the wrong way on Fairfield Avenue before hitting other cars.

“The car becomes a three thousand pound weapon,” Perez said. “You know he gets pinned and goes underneath that vehicle, anything could happen.

The Greater Bridgeport NAACP chapter held a press conference Thursday afternoon outside Bridgeport’s Government Center to discuss how the community should move forward after this shooting.

The chapter’s president George Mintz said community groups will be discussing, “how can we prevent this from ever happening again?”

Mintz said he is disturbed the boy’s body was left in the street for hours after the shooting.

“We hope to be able to have discussions on how we can effect change and introduce legislation so that no other family will have to have that experience again,” Mintz said.

The superintendent of Bridgeport Public School said Negron was a freshman at Fairchild-Wheeler Magnet School. Counselors were sent there and to other high schools to help students who knew Negron cope with his death.

Perez announced there will be an internal affairs investigation into the police shooting. He is also asking the department’s Firearm Review Board to analyze the incident and make recommendations.

Perez told NBC Connecticut he is unaware if video exists of the events leading up to and including the shooting.

“I can tell you that we do not have dash cams on our vehicles,” Perez said.

The chief supports outfitting officers with body cameras, but he said right now the funding isn’t there to cover the costs of storing all the video.

Lawmakers Hoping for New Ideas During Budget Talks

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In a rare show of unity in the realm of budget talks, Connecticut’s Speaker of the House and Republican Minority Leader said they’re ready to look at all ideas to fix the state’s budget crisis.

Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz said he doesn’t think any decision will be an easy one for lawmakers or the governor as they have to fill a combined $5 billion deficit.

“A lot of these rescissions and cuts have long term impacts to the state,” Aresimowicz told reporters during a briefing in his office. “The deficit being as large as it is, it’s going to be a very difficult process.”

Rep. Themis Klarides said she feared the optics of their work to fend off a fiscal crisis could be hindered because of a bond commission meeting scheduled for Friday. The meeting will be the first one in months after the governor refused to meet over budget concerns.

“We can’t sit here and talk about deficit mitigation and then tomorrow morning we have a bond commission with millions of dollars being bonded and said Wednesday, where do we go from here? We’re not looking at things in a holistic way. We’re looking at them in a vacuum,” said Klarides.

The General Assembly has an adjournment deadline of June 7 to approve a budget without a special session, but the more accurate deadline is July 1, when the next fiscal year begins.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Route 5 in North Haven Shut Down After Pedestrian Hit by Car

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Route 5 in North Haven is shut down after a pedestrian was struck by a car on Thursday night.

Route 5, also known as Washington Avenue, is shut down in the area of Scrub Oak Road.

The pedestrian sustained numerous injuries and was rushed to the hospital.

The road is expected to be blocked while police investigate. 

No other details were immediately available. 



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

CT Business Owners Say They Aren't Always Getting Mail

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Small business owners say when mail doesn’t get to them properly, it’s more than a nuisance: it can be costly.

The owners in East Hartford said their complaints to the postal service have gone nowhere.

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” says the United States Postal Service creed.

But, that didn't seem to be the case on a busy East Hartford mail route. When a frustrated business reached out to NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters, we turned to tech and set up a video doorbell to see for ourselves.

Marc Glass said after his mail carrier retired two years ago, his postal service became spotty. Glass and fellow business owners on his route like Anthony Corona Jr. said for a while the mail service was almost non-existent.

“We weren't getting mail. I'd go for weeks without getting mail. Weeks? Weeks. I have to run out and pay the bills and I'm eating, absorbing the late fees on top of it," Corona said.

For a short time this spring, Glass said mail delivery improved with a new carrier, but when the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters tracked his service for 30 business days with a video doorbell when mail was supposed to be delivered, Glass didn't get mail seven of those days.

Mail did not come on Good Friday ,which is not a federal holiday, and on five different Saturdays. On weekdays, the mail carrier walks in to each office, delivers the mail, and picks up items to be delivered, but on Saturdays, there's a box for mail to be dropped off.

Postal service spokeswoman Christine Dugas suggests the failure to deliver to Glass on Saturdays may have been a miscommunication.

“We were under the impression that none of the three businesses in that building wanted Saturday delivery. Based on the landlord saying to us not to deliver on Saturday that's common for businesses," Dugas said.

Dugas added that mail carrier said the boxes were not clearly marked. NBC Connecticut video clip from weeks earlier shows at least Glass' box was properly displayed. The postal service said Glass' situation is unusual, citing a Gallup survey indicating close to 97 percent of letters arrive on time.

A stone's throw away from Glass a business owner said he has no problems with the mail, but this shop owner is on a different route.

The postal service stresses customers should let them know if there's an issue and to start with the postmaster. If that doesn't work ask for the post office operations manager. If that fails there is a consumer advocate in Connecticut for the United States Postal Service. Corona and Glass said they did reach out.

USPS is on the case now, saying it’s at the highest level of management in the Hartford district. The USPS said if all else fails, call 1-(800)ASK-USPS.

There is hope for this mail route. Another new carrier introduced herself this week and the businesses here tell NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters their fingers are crossed.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Tolland to Spray Parks and Fields for Ticks

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The Town of Tolland will be spraying five of its parks and fields for ticks early next week.

Crandall Park, River Park, Cross Farms, Heron Cove and the town’s recreation center field are scheduled to be sprayed next Monday, weather permitting.

The town’s recreation director, Bruce Watt, said the town has received several complaints about ticks from patrons using the parks.

“With the fields being used so prevalent now with Little League, lacrosse and soccer, we’re seeing more people coming out using the fields,” said Watt.

Jeff Hodge of Tolland likes to bring his kids to the park. On Thursday afternoon, we found them at Cross Farms. He said his children, Cameron and Logan, have been lucky with no ticks this season so far and he has been taking extra precautions to make sure it stays that way.

“At bath time every night we check them every day. Check the hair. Check everywhere because we have heard quite a bit about it,” said Hodge.

If you ask nurse practitioner, Francine York, some haven’t been so lucky.

York works at Tolland County Pediatrics and has seen an uptick in the number of patients that come in for ticks. She said many of her patients have told her they got them from Cross Farms or Crandall Park.

“So this year compared to last year, we’re seeing almost every day – one to two children with an increase tick bites. Last year I hadn’t really seen any – I didn’t see any until about July of last year,” said York.

Distinguished Lawns, the town’s fertilizer contractor, said they were supposed to spray the field Thursday, but with upcoming rain, the spraying was postponed.

“I think it’s probably a good idea if we’ve got an issue going on,” said Hodge.

The town will not be spraying fields that belong to schools.

FBI Officials Dispute Trump Account of Comey Dinner Meeting

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Despite what President Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday, a current and a former FBI official close to James Comey told NBC News that the former director did not seek a dinner with the president to retain his job.

The two sources said the White House had requested the meeting, which happened at the White House a few days after Trump took office.

The former official added that Comey would have never told Trump he was not under investigation, which also contradicts what the President said in his interview with NBC Nightly News' Lester Holt.

"The president is not correct," said the former official, who, along with the current officials, were not named in the NBC News report.

Couple Checked for Smoke Inhalation After Fire in Portland

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A Portland couple was checked for smoke inhalation, but was not seriously injured, when fire sparked in the garage early Friday morning. 

Firefighters responded to fight the fire on Penfield Hill Road and kept it from spreading to the house.




Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Senator Blumenthal to Address Trump Firing of FBI Director Comey

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Days after President Donald Trump blasted Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Twitter in response to the senator’s comments on the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, Blumenthal will be holding a news conference about the president's ouster of the former director.

Blumenthal will hold a news conference at noon to “address the latest revelations in the mounting constitutional crisis triggered by President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and his subsequent statements,” according to a news release from Blumenthal’s office. 

On Tuesday the president fired Comey, citing recommendations from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, who criticized the director’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

Blumenthal quickly called for an independent special prosecutor on the investigation into White House ties to Russia, compared the situation to Watergate and said a special prosecutor is only way to ensure credibility in the FBI investigation going forward.

“The need for a special prosecutor is now crystal clear. President Trump has catastrophically compromised the FBI’s ongoing investigation of his own White House’s ties to Russia. Not since Watergate have our legal systems been so threatened, and our faith in the independence and integrity of those systems so shaken. The only way to restore faith in a non-political, non-partisan FBI is to appoint an independent special prosecutor,” Blumenthal said in a statement Tuesday. 

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the president said Blumenthal’s argument was a “joke,” claimed that Blumenthal was involved in “the greatest military frauds” in the country’s history and called for an investigation into the senator himself.

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Blumenthal became embroiled in controversy when he ran against Linda McMahon for one of Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seats in 2010 – based off comments he made in 2008 suggesting he served in Vietnam. 

A New York Times investigation found that Blumenthal received at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and records show he enlisted in the Marine Reserve -- a move that "virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam," according to the Times. 

Blumenthal acknowledged that he might have misspoken about his service record at the time the report came out, but denied lying about it.

Blumenthal later responded to the president's tweets with one of his own, saying the "bullying" won't stop him from calling for an independent investigation.

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Then, on Thursday morning, the senator Tweeted, “Trust in administration impossible as long as it refuses to name an independent special prosecutor.”

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The president is again Tweeting about Comey this morning, saying, “James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!”

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Photo Credit: Getty Images
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