Richard Blumenthal

I think Senator McConnell is starting a new career and an admirable one, voting his conscience and standing strong for the civil rights and liberties of this country.

He has no immunity against civil contempt orders.

It's an obvious public relations ploy, Erin, to push back against a lot of the criticism. Musk has dropped precipitously in popularity. I talked to my Republican colleagues and they are aghast at the unpopularity they're hearing from their…

I'm confident that there will be continuing court actions to block these blatantly illegal actions, and I am supporting, as are many of my colleagues, these actions to stop the lawbreaking that occurs when there are hiring freezes, funding…

If Elon Musk wants transparency, he should make available fully and completely all of those financial disclosure forms. I demand that he make public all of his finances.

Nobody wants a shutdown, but we have leverage.

It may be back online, but no one knows whether that's for sure, because Russel Vought and Donald Trump think they may be above the law.

He's going to exploit it for the bottom lines of his companies and his billionaire friends.

It is reprehensible an unelected billionaire can freely access veterans' sensitive and personal information.

Will you say no to the president if he withholds that money?

It's more than a hypothetical with all due respect.

I will be attending. I think it's part of my job.

I'm still hoping that they will take the facts and reach the conclusion that these nominees are deeply unqualified for various specific reasons, but overall, that they are unwilling to say no to Donald Trump and put the nation's interests…

You know, the Trump transition team has mounted a relentless campaign of pressure, threatening and intimidating my colleagues.

We're seeing a very dangerous and tragic trend play out here.

I'm disappointed and disgusted that he has been purged from this position and replaced with someone who is far less qualified.

It sends a message to the House and to the Senate that Trump is going to put personal loyalty to him ahead of the national interest, and the United States security interests.

What I've urged is in fact and I'll say it again, if a foreign adversary is operating a drone over sensitive locations, we should take it down.

There is the valid suspicion that perhaps some foreign adversary is owning and operating these kinds of drones to do surveillance, and they are flying near or over military installations, airports, other sensitive areas.

I want the evidence. I want the evidence. I want the facts. I want the systemic results that they have. Make it public.

I don't know what's going on. Neither do the agencies who have responsibility for it. And that's why I've demanded answers from them at the very least, to tell us what they are doing to determine what's going on.

The growing number... of mysterious drones... should be shot down.

They should be shot down if necessary because they're flying over sensitive areas. Whether it's planes that may be jeopardized or security at military bases, we ought to do a much better job, the Biden administration ought to be acting…

This nomination is doomed.

Literally life-and-death issues are in the hands of the secretary of defense, and entrusting these kinds of issues to someone who might be incapacitated for any reason is a risk we cannot take.