Blumenthal, one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, presented certificates of special recognition from the Senate to three winners of the "Amistad Award," given annually by the Connecticut People’s World Committee, an affiliate of the Communist Party USA and the Marxist People’s World news site.
Blumenthal appeared even as Democratic leaders have downplayed allegations that many in the party support socialist or communist policies. President Joe Biden distanced himself from the left-wing ideologies during the 2020 presidential campaign, at one point bragging that he defeated a socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), in the primaries. Blumenthal used his speech at the ceremony to tout Democratic legislative policies, including voting rights reform, ending the filibuster and the Build Back Better Act, according to the Yankee Institute, a free market think tank in Connecticut that reported details of the event.
Blumenthal was introduced at the event by Lisa Bergmann, a Communist Party member who blamed corporations for the "imperialism that exists in our world that is undermining the labor and environment."
Bergmann and her fellow communist emcee, Ben McManus, issued invitations at the ceremony to join the Communist Party.
Blumenthal’s wealth is so vast—one estimate puts it at $100 million—that he has sometimes been unaware of all of his investments, including in a real estate development company linked to the Chinese government. Blumenthal said he was unaware of his investment in U.S. Shanghai LLC., which is listed on his annual financial disclosure, until contacted for comment by the Washington Free Beacon earlier this year. Blumenthal’s wealth comes mostly from his wife, a member of a New York real estate dynasty.
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