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Blumenthal Family Snaps Selfies With Biden At Second Swearing-In Ceremony

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Greenwich, was sworn in Tuesday for his second term by Vice President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C.

Joe Biden takes a selfie with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, his wife and two of his children, Claire and David.

Joe Biden takes a selfie with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, his wife and two of his children, Claire and David.

Photo Credit: YouTube screenshot
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Greenwich, was sworn in Tuesday for his second term by Vice President Joe Biden. With them is his wife, Cynthia Blumenthal.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Greenwich, was sworn in Tuesday for his second term by Vice President Joe Biden. With them is his wife, Cynthia Blumenthal.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Throughout the ceremony, Biden joked with family members and posed for selfies as seen on YouTube footage.

At Blumenthal's turn, Biden posed for a selfie with two of his four children Claire and David. 

"You're a pro at this," Claire said, and then asked, "Want to do a goofy one?

Biden also told Claire his granddaughter likes to take selfies and put ears on him. "That's their job," Claire said. 

"That's what granddaughter do," Biden said. 

The vice president then motioned for the senator and his wife, Cynthia, to join them for a photo. 

"Gotta get us all in," Biden said, taking the phone from Claire and snapping the family shot.

On his Facebook page, Blumenthal took a more serious turn, posting a formal photo as he took the oath. 

"I am humbled and honored to be sworn into my second term serving Connecticut in the U.S. Senate. I am excited and ready to continue fighting for what is right," Blumenthal said on his Facebook page.

He also related another highlight of his day.  

"On this first day of my second term, I met with a true hero: Gabby Giffords. Her tireless courage and relentless advocacy remind us that no matter how dark a day, no matter the odds, we can never stop working for a better world —with universal background checks, no gun sales to terrorists, and other commonsense steps against gun violence," he said on Facebook.

In November, Blumenthal defeated a challenge from Republican Dan Carter of Bethel, who stepped down from his seat in the state House to run against Blumenthal.

In his victory speech, Blumenthal touched on issues such as college affordability, veterans rights, gun control, and women's health, which he said need to be tackled.

"We need to fight a lot of these fights right now and win them right now,” he said.

Blumenthal also spoke of the country as a nation of immigrants and mentioned his father, Martin, who arrived as a 17-year-old from Germany with few prospects but a country that welcomed him.

"We are the greatest nation in the world because we build bridges not walls,” he said.

Blumenthal was first elected in 2010 as he defeated Republican Linda McMahon, a fellow Greenwich resident. The Senate seat was vacant after the retirement of longtime Sen. Chris Dodd, a fellow Democrat.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Blumenthal is a Harvard graduate who earned his law degree at Yale Law School, where he was a classmate of Hilary and Bill Clinton. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 1970 to 1976.

He was U.S. Attorney for Connecticut from 1977 to 1981. He was a state representative from 1984 to 1987, until he was elected as a state senator. He became the state's Attorney General in 1990 and served in the post for 20 years, establishing himself as a strong advocate for consumer protection.

He is the state’s senior senator, with fellow Democrat Chris Murphy as the state’s junior senator.

In Congress, he is the Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and also sits on the Judiciary, Armed Services and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees.

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