Sen. Fetterman slams back at WSJ expose that depicts him as apathetic as being ‘smears’ from ‘disgruntled staffers’  

Senator John Fetterman is firing back after a wave of criticism following a recent report that portrays him as apathetic to his senatorial duties. The Pennsylvania Democrat is dismissing the claims as nothing more than “smears” from “disgruntled staffers” who are looking to damage his reputation.

Fetterman addressed the controversy this weekend in conversation with CNN. The situation stems from a report published by The Wall Street Journal, which cited former aides and leaked text messages to suggest the senator has become more interested in cozying up to conservative media than doing the actual work of a U.S. senator.

In his statement to CNN, Fetterman noted. “Per usual — lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous.” He later added: “No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania.” At one point, he even referred to the WSJ article as “the third hit piece from disgruntled staffers.” He argued that the text messages highlighted in the report were stripped of context.

An increasing number of reports

Per CNN, one of the more controversial reported moments involved the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The report claimed Fetterman questioned why he had to keep meeting with the hospital, and when an aide explained they were worried about Medicaid cuts, the senator replied, “Well, I’m not.” 

Fetterman admitted to CNN that this was a “dumb joke, and for that, I sincerely apologize.” He added that he has met with the hospital officials both virtually and in person, pointing to an X post he made about it.

The report also touched on Fetterman missing a funeral for three police officers killed near his hometown of York. He allegedly griped about the three-hour length of the service in a text message, writing, “This may be a nonstarter.” 

Fetterman countered this by telling CNN, “On the day of that tragedy, we privately ordered flowers to be delivered for their families and expressed my condolences publicly.” He also said he attended a fundraiser in June to support the families directly.

Another incident involved a scheduled meeting with three paralyzed Pennsylvania veterans. The report alleged that Fetterman told his staff he wasn’t feeling well, only to appear fine on Fox News an hour later. Fetterman clarified the situation in his statement to CNN, stating, “Prior to the meeting I was at home throwing up, so I asked my staff to continue with the meeting which they did. Hours later, I felt well enough to continue the day as scheduled.”

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the WSJ also detailed an interaction between Fetterman and Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. It claimed that Fetterman’s staff withheld drafted points from the embassy out of concern that it could violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. 

The fallout, however,  has been significant. A group of people claiming to be former staffers launched an anonymous account on X, threatening to reveal more details about the senator, who is already navigating a tricky political landscape. In their first post, they wrote that It’s even worse than you thought,” and that the WSJ report was “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Fetterman has been dealing with low approval ratings within his own party. He has also had public disagreements with the left regarding immigration, presidential war powers in Iran, and Israel. In fact, Fetterman has previously threatened to leave the Democratic Party if it adopts an anti-Israel policy.

The backlash hasn’t been limited to former staffers. Per The Philadelphia Inquirer, many Democrats have reacted strongly to the revelations, especially the rivals who are potential candidates for his seat in 2028. 

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle took to social media in response to the WSJ article, writing, “John Fetterman is a disgrace. Our state deserves better than a lazy trust fund baby who is too lazy to do the job.” The outlet noted that U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio also weighed in, calling the behavior “pathetic.” He wrote, “[B]etween the laziness, disrespect, and willingness to carry water for a foreign government, it shows us something we already know: this man has no sense of duty.”

Former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta also reportedly condemned the report. Kenyatta noted, “This report is horrifying, but not new to many of us in PA. John barely showed up as [lieutenant governor] and is constantly MIA as our Senator.”

It should be noted that, per The Inquirer, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer characterized Fetterman as “an important member of our caucus.”However, the outlet also noted that the competitive race to the midterms and the hope for a Senate majority make Fetterman a key swing vote.