(MYSTIC) - Since becoming a candidate for US Senate, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has bobbed and weaved to avoid answering questions. And after a month of vague statements to avoid taking a stand, our state's top lawyer, feeling the political pressure, has reversed himself on civilian trials for terrorists attacking the United States. Raj Shah, Communications for Simmons for Senate, made the following statement in reaction to Blumenthal's new found opposition to a civilian trial for attempted Christmas Day hijacker Abdulmutallab:
 
"It is quite telling that it took our state's chief lawyer a month to reverse his previous support for giving full constitutional rights to terrorists attacking our nation. But despite his election-year tough talk, Richard Blumenthal's record is clear.

"Whether it's criticizing the Patriot Act, fighting for the rights of trial lawyers to sue companies helping our government gather intelligence, or civilian trials for terrorists, Richard Blumenthal views terrorism on American soil as a law enforcement matter, rather than the threat to our national security that it is."
 
FACTS
 
Blumenthal Shifts On Civilian Trials For Terrorist Attacking The United States
 
Asked Last Month If Terrorists Should Be Tried In Civilian Courts, Blumenthal Said "If There Is A Nexus Between The Crime And Violations Of Domestic Laws, They Ought To Be Tried In United States Courts." NEW LONDON DAY'S TED MANN: "I wanted to know what you think about specifically dealing with terrorist suspects like the attempted attacker from Christmas Day. Do you support trying attempted terrorists, would be terrorists in federal court as the Bush Administration did with Richard Reid and as we're apparently doing now or would you do something along the line of a military commission?" BLUMENTHAL: "You know, Ted, one of the important facts about any prosecution, which I say as a former United State Attorney for four years here in Connecticut, as the state's chief federal prosecutor, is that every case has to be reviewed in its own facts. If there is a nexus between the crime and violations of domestic laws, they ought to be tried in United States courts." (WFSB's "Face The State," 1/11/10)
 
Manchester Journal Inquirer's Chris Powell: Blumenthal "Favors Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism In Regular Rather Than Military Courts." "Blumenthal did say forthrightly that he supports the war in Afghanistan and favors prosecuting domestic terrorism in regular rather than military courts." (Chris Powell, Op-Ed, "Searching For Candor In Blumenthal's Wake," Manchester Journal Inquirer, 1/11/10)
 
The New London Day's Ted Mann: "It Would Be Hard From His First Declaration About The Nexus Of A Crime And U.S. Laws To See How He Would Be Opposed To Putting Abdulmutallab (Or Reid) Into The Federal Court System." "The main import of this answer, of course, is that he did not quite answer the question, though it would be hard from his first declaration about the nexus of a crime and U.S. laws to see how he would be opposed to putting Abdulmutallab (or Reid) into the federal court system." (Ted Mann, "Did Blumenthal Flip-Flop?" The New London Day, 2/2/10)
 
But A Month Later, Feeling The Political Heat, Tricky Dick Said He Would Not Have Read Abdulmutallab, Apprehended In Detroit, MI, His Miranda Rights And Would "Probably Not" Try Him In A Civilian Court. BLUMENTHAL: "Very often the reading of rights diminishes the usefulness of subsequent interrogation, the reason being simply that the defendant chooses to have a lawyer present, or chooses to cease talking. And I would have pursued the interrogation without the Miranda rights because I believe that the usefulness of learning about contacts from Yemen and elsewhere in the world and potential immediate attacks that may be known to this individual outweigh the benefits of having that at the trial." WNYC's BRIAN LEHRER: "So just so I'm clear, not charging him in civilian court." BLUMENTHAL: "And probably not in civilian court." (WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show," 2/10/10)
 
Blumenthal's Record Of Weakness
 
Blumenthal On The Patriot Act: "I'm not necessarily a supporter of every single provision in the Patriot Act, and I've taken the position to improve it." (Jane Gordon, "In Patriots' Cradle, the Patriot Act Faces Scrutiny," The New York Times, 4/24/05)
 
Blumenthal Opposed Allowing Telecommunications Companies To Be Granted Immunity From Lawsuits After, At The Request Of The Federal Government, They Assisted In Intelligence Gathering. "Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and law enforcement officials from four other states have asked the U.S. Senate to reject retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that let the federal government snoop on private telephone calls without warrants. ... Blumenthal argued that granting immunity would short-circuit pending litigation seeking to allow Connecticut and other states to investigate whether telecommunications companies broke state privacy laws prohibiting release of caller information without warrants. Blumenthal and his fellow law enforcement officials went to court when the federal government moved to block state investigations, claiming that they would endanger national security." (Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, "Attorney General, Four Other States Urge U. S. Senate To Reject Immunity For Telecoms That Cooperated With Warrantless Wiretapping," Press Release, 11/5/07)
 
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