Sindey Blumenthal has long been viewed as one of Bill Clinton’s and then Hillary Clinton most aggressive supporters. Often criticized for his scorched earth tactics against any critics of the Clinton, Blumenthal now faces his own fight after an arrest the day before the New Hampshire primary for aggravated drunk driving.
Nashua police say Sidney Blumenthal was arrested early Monday after being clocked at 70 mph in a 30 mph zone. Blumenthal, 59, is an adviser on Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Smelling alcohol, officers said they administered a field sobriety test, which Blumenthal failed. Though Blumenthal declined to take a Breathalyzer test, he was arrested on a charge of aggravated drunken driving due to the speed, Masella said.A handcuffed Blumenthal spent about four hours at a police station before being bailed out Monday morning, Masella said.
Blumenthal was often accused by critics of some of the most personal and vicious attacks on critics during the Clinton terms. He was involved in litigation over such allegations after the Clinton administration. The most noted was his strange litigation over allegations that he is a spouse abuser — litigation that led to Blumenthal not just losing but actually paying damages to the accused publishers.
In 1997, Matt Drudge reported in his Drudge Report that Blumenthal abused his spouse. Blumenthal sued both Drudge and AOL, but the federal court held held that, even though AOL received advance notice of the content of the Report and federal law protected AOL from liability. Notably, while Blumenthal sued Drudge for $30 million, he dropped the action and agreed to pay Drudge’s attorneys after nearly four years of litigation. Drudge reported that Blumenthal agreed to pay him the money in exchange for an agreement that Drudge would not sue him.
Despite these controversies, Blumenthal remained a major force in the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and a columnist for Salon.com and the Guardian. For the full story, click here and here
“Hillary Clinton – A Lifetime of Walking the Walk.” Unfortunately political advisor Sidney Blumenthal wasn’t so lucky. At 12:30 am. Monday morning, one day before the New Hampshire state primary, Nashua police observed Mr. Blumenthal’s rental car careen through Greeley Park at speeds in excess of 70-mph., in a 30-mph. zone, and apprehended Sidney. (Funny we didn’t hear about it, in a quirk of irony maybe that’s why Hillary teared-up and won NH.) Sid failed to walk the walk – failed the field sobriety test, got arrested – handcuffed.
Kind of like Dee Dee Myers does every so often. Sidney Blumenthal, longtime friend and senior adviser to presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. was inebriated. Free the Chicago 7, free Bobby Seale; Attica, Attica, screamed Blumenthal, before being tossed into the slammer for four hours. Police offered to free Mr. Seale on condition that Mr. Blumenthal take the Breathalyzer, but in the absence of a sworn affidavit or even a pinky-swear on the part of police, Sidney declined the test, and was booked for Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, DWI: http://theseedsof9-11.com
As a counterpoint, according to Blumenthal’s narrative “The Clinton Wars””
Blumenthal was running out of money and according to him, at least, Drudge had a bottomless legal fund financed by Scaife.
Everyone of significance in the Clinton WH was the subject of a barrage of “nuisance suits” (Blumenthal’s judgement), subpoenas, interrogatories and so forth. Out-of-pocket legal expenses were immense. I doubt if there has ever been an administration in our country’s history that was subject to such a naked “law-fare” attempt to cripple and impoverish the participants. Blumenthal, in his book, estimates the legal costs to the White House staff was in excess of 8 million dollars even before the impeachment. Again according to Blumenthal, he and his wife paid Drudge 2,500 dollars to end the controversy and to free themselves from any further expenditures. .
If I have made any errors of fact, someone correct me!