Blumenthal says Trump needs to end Operaton Epic Fury

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – He stands in a corn field with an adjoining restaurant that is part of Brookfield Town Center, the growing New England-style central business district.

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Richard Blumenthal is urging the local Democrats to Get Out The Vote for the party's candidates in the November 3 election. He says that this race is a building block for the 2028 presidential campaign in a year when he will be running for his fourth term in the U.S. Senate.

He wears a button that states, "Stop Him," eluding to the need to nullify Republican President Donald Trump's platform over his final two years in the White House.

Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, declared in an interview with Patch.com that Trump "needs to begin serious negotiations to end" Operation Epic Fury in Iran, which began February 28.

"It has been a total abject failure," Blumenthal exclaimed. "None of the goals have been met and it has had a negative effect" with the closures in the Strait of Hormuz, which has increased gasoline and diesel prices.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in his recent State of the Force address that he will seek to reduce the number of officers in the military.

Blumenthal of Greenwich remarked, "He essentially is putting political loyalty over merit. He is cutting minorities and women from the top line. He is making political loyalty a test of whether someone is promoted or even retained."

Hegseth also has appointed a commission, Project Meridian, to spend 120 days charting the future of war - with mega-billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of the Silicon Valley defense contracting start-up Space X - as chairman.

Commented Blumenthal, "We definitely need to look at the future of warfare. It is changing in strategy and tactics because of un-maned warfare – the drones – that Ukraine is using so expertly."

"Putting Musk in charge of it is the wrong thing to do," he asserted. "Musk has no experience with the military and no real expertise."

Four members of the state Democratic ticket also spoke during the event at Twins on Junction Road – Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz of Middletown, Treasurer Erick Russell of New Haven, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas of Norwalk and Comptroller Sean Scanlon of Guilford.

The program also included state Senate candidates Aaron Zimmer, 30th District, of Brookfield; Matt Knickerbocker, 32nd District, of Bethel; and 107th District state House nominee Julie Kerton of Brookfield.