Blumenthal says US attorney opened probe tied to Senate inquiry

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Thursday that a federal prosecutor is trying to investigate him over a congressional inquiry he is pursuing, escalating a fight over how Democrats plan to scrutinize President Donald Trump and his allies. Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat set to chair the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when Democrats take the chamber, said he received a letter from Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas. In response, Blumenthal sent Reitz a letter demanding preservation of records and correspondence with the White House and senior Justice Department officials related to the matter. He called the implied investigation baseless and wrote, “I will not be intimidated.”