Blumenthal among richest in Congress

Sen. Richard Blumenthal is one of the richest members of Congress while Sen. Chris Murphy is far from it, according to the latest Wealth of Congress Study by Roll Call, which ranks members of the 115th Congress by estimated net worth.

Blumenthal is the 9th richest member of Congress, worth $70 million, while Murphy comes in at No. 525 with a net worth of negative $0.7 million, the study, released Tuesday, reports. The study’s authors say that some elected officials show a negative net worth because financial disclosure reports don’t require elected officials reveal certain assets.

Connecticut’s all Democratic congressional representatives fall somewhere in between, from Rosa DeLauro at No. 73 with a net worth of $4.6 million to John Larson at No. 429 with a net worth of negative $0.1 million.

Elizabeth Esty, worth $3.3 million, comes in at No. 91; Jim Himes, worth $2.9 million, comes in at No. 102; and Rep. Joe Courtney, worth $0.2 million, is ranked at No. 429.

Roll Call has examined the finances of members of Congress since 1990 by combing through annual financial disclosure reports, and calculating the net worth of every congressional member based on the total minimum reported value of their assets minus the total minimum reported value of their liabilities.

Roll Call editors note that while the reports open a window into the financial position of every member, they are far from comprehensive or exact. Members only report their financial positions in 11 broad ranges of value, starting with less than $1,000 and maxing out at $50 million or more, and while they are required to report how much they owe on their mortgage, they are not required to report the values of their principal residence or its contents, the biggest assets for most Americans. Liabilities open during any part of 2016 are also counted.

Herbst, Fasano call for discipline against top Malloy adviser over social media post

GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Herbst joined Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano this week in asking Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to discipline his top justicereform adviser for criticism of a GOP candidate for attorney general.

Herbst took it one step further, calling for Michael P. Lawlor, the adviser in the Office of Policy and Management, to resign or be fired.

Lawlor called the candidate, Susan Hatfield, a “racist enabler.” Hatfield, of Pomfret, was a delegate pledged to Trump during the 2016 Republican National Convention. Fasano claimed that since Hatfield is a state prosecutor, Lawlor’s comment was an attack on the entire office of Chief State’s Attorney.

“I don’t believe social media should be used by an appointed official in a nonpartisan position and I just don’t think what should be a nonpartisan position should be filled with someone who posts nasty, vile and derogatory statements,” Herbst said.

“His comments could easily be used by all those prosecuted by the state to question the motives and integrity of the very people entrusted to prosecute cases,” Fasano wrote to Malloy.

Malloy officials noted that as the OPM undersecretary of criminal justice policy and planning, Lawlor has no oversight of the prosecutorial system.

Malloy skipped meeting with Trump during visit to Washington

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy decided he had more important things to do than attend a meeting with President Donald Trump, who once again called to arm teachers during the White House business meeting with the nation’s governors Monday morning.

“He thought about it for a while and ultimately decided he had things to do here in the state that were more pressing,” said Leigh Appleby, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office.

Malloy instead hosted a news conference where he announced the launch of a new campaign to combat the prescription drug and opioid crises.

The meeting with the president wasn’t the only White House event Malloy skipped during his weekend trip for the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association. Malloy, a prominent Democratic opponent to Trump administration policies, skipped all events at the White House, including the governors ball.

“You would be hardpressed to find anyone who is less alike than the president,” Malloy said of himself at a Politico “State Solutions” forum.