Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is dealing with a growing revolt from his own former staffers.
On Friday, those staffers were quoted in the Wall Street Journal, revealing details of their time working for him. They claimed Fetterman skipped meetings, passed on attending a funeral for police officers, and ignored requests from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Fetterman responded to CNN over the weekend, saying in part:
“Per usual, lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous. No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania.”
Political Science Professor Chris Borick at Lehigh University said none of this is normal.
“He’s in terrain that is not usual, not only here in Pennsylvania, but nationally,” said Borick.
It’s unusual terrain because these kinds of disputes are normally handled behind closed doors, and in this case, Fetterman isn’t getting any backup from his own party. Just listen to how Democratic primary candidates in Pennsylvania’s 7th District Congressional Race talked about Fetterman back in April.
“I think John Fetterman thinks that he’s doing something noble by just totally turning on his values in general. It’s not acceptable,” said candidate Ryan Crosswell.
“I endorsed Connor Lamb in that primary,” said candidate Lamont McClure.
“I don’t even know what to say about the man. I think some things have changed in his life that have made him take different opinions,” said candidate Bob Brooks.
“I have a problem with people who say one thing and do another, and so that’s what I’m seeing from him,” said candidate Carol Obando-Derstine.
Borick said that lack of support may be part of the reason these leaks are happening.
“Coming out on this matter might be a little bit safer than it might be if you were simply attacking someone that was well-established and had strong support within their own party,” said Borick.
But Fetterman does have some support from outside his party. Pennsylvania’s Republican Sen. Dave McCormick had his back, saying on social media:
“These stories are the latest example of outrageously disloyal staff and forces on the Left using anonymous leaks to cancel my friend John Fetterman. They hate that he is an independent thinker who refuses to fall into line so they want to silence him.”
Borick said, no matter which side you support, the dispute is threatening to make Fetterman a one-term Senator.
“This series of back and forths only adds to the uncertainty in terms of where he is headed in his future,” said Borick.
Fetterman’s former staffers have now started an anonymous account on X. They say they’re planning to release more private text messages on Monday, Sept. 14th. Borick said he believes they gave the deadline because they may be encouraging Fetterman to address whatever is in those text messages himself before they get released.