Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is pushing back against reports based on leaked text messages that suggested he brushed off meetings with constituents, including a children’s hospital and a group of paralyzed veterans from Pennsylvania. He’s calling the reports “smears,” and he has an unexpected defender: his Republican Senate colleague from Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick.
The controversy stems from a report first published by the Wall Street Journal based on leaked texts between Fetterman and his staff. According to that reporting, the texts showed Fetterman more focused on appearing on Fox News to discuss Israel than on meeting constituents, and describing his decision to skip a funeral for slain police officers because it would take too long.
Fetterman responded in a statement to CNN, blaming “disgruntled” former staffers for the story.
“Per usual — lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous,” Fetterman said. “No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania.”
The report has angered other Democrats in the Pennsylvania delegation, but McCormick came to Fetterman’s defense 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,” McCormick wrote on X. “They hate that he is an independent thinker who refuses to fall into line so they want to silence him.”
Fetterman and McCormick have built an unusual bipartisan relationship for a Congress that has grown more polarized. They are one of three Senate pairs from a state considered politically purple, and Fetterman has said he won’t support an opponent against McCormick when McCormick seeks re-election in 2030.
“Well, I would absolutely never move against my friend,” Fetterman told reporters.
The two senators launched a joint fundraising effort called Common Ground PA in July, according to federal financial filings, and spent Labor Day together touring Bell & Evans, a chicken processing company in Pennsylvania, McCormick said in a post.
“He and I will continue to work together to deliver for Pennsylvania by saving jobs at US Steel, passing a new law to make housing more affordable, securing $600 million to replace the Delaware River Bridge, and delivering critical funding to protect Presque Isle State Park,” McCormick said.
Despite McCormick’s support, pressure on Fetterman is building elsewhere. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., who represents southwest Pennsylvania, called Fetterman’s conduct “pathetic” and said “this man has no sense of duty.”
“He is not up for the high office he was elected to — and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028,” Deluzio wrote on X.
The vice chair of the Democratic National Committee has also criticized Fetterman over the report. It remains unclear whether Fetterman will seek re-election when his term is up in 2028.
