Exclusive: Fetterman blasts ‘disgruntled staffers’ and ‘smears’ after report details apathy toward his work

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Sen. John Fetterman is lashing out at former aides who accused him of showing indifference toward his work and of routinely skipping constituent meetings, dismissing them as “disgruntled staffers” pushing “smears” to tarnish his reputation.

The first-term Pennsylvania Democrat broke his silence this weekend after The Wall Street Journal published text messages and cited former staffers who contended Fetterman has grown more keen on ingratiating himself with conservative media than on the critical work expected of a United States senator.

Now, former Fetterman staffers have created an anonymous account on X and are threatening to share further unflattering details about the senator, who is facing sagging approval ratings within his own party amid battles with the left over Israel, Iran and immigration — all as he stares at a potential run for reelection in 2028. The senator bluntly warned in July that he would leave the Democratic Party if it adopts an anti-Israel policy — one of his most direct threats yet.

Facing an extraordinary rift with his own staff, Fetterman went public in a statement to CNN this weekend after he didn’t reply to requests for comment from The Wall Street Journal. He called the article “the third hit piece from disgruntled staffers” who have gone after him.

“Per usual — lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous,” Fetterman said, later adding: “No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania.”

In the statement, Fetterman responded to three of the leaked text messages in The Journal’s report, arguing they were “stripped of any context and circumstances.”

In one text message from last September, The Journal reported, Fetterman asked his staff why he had to “keep having to meet” with officials from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, known as CHOP.

“Because they’re worried about Medicaid cuts,” the aide said.

Fetterman responded: “Well, I’m not.”

In the statement to CNN, Fetterman called that comment a “dumb joke, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

But the senator added that he’s met with the Philadelphia hospital officials “virtually and in person,” pointing to a photo he posted on X .

“My office and I always have, and always will, advocate for CHOP, support their requests and any other needs that we can assist with,” he said.

The Journal report also revealed that Fetterman skipped a funeral for three police officers killed near his hometown of York last September, citing a text message in which the senator griped at the service’s three-hour length.

“This may be a nonstarter,” Fetterman wrote in the text, according to The Journal.

In the statement to CNN, Fetterman said he took steps to express his condolences and meet with the family members affected.

“On the day of that tragedy, we privately ordered flowers to be delivered for their families and expressed my condolences publicly,” he said, citing a post on X expressing his grief . “In June of this year, I privately attended a Tunnel to Towers fundraiser in York for the families. I met with their chief and the family members directly to express my personal condolences.”

Fetterman, according to The Journal, also skipped a planned meeting with three paralyzed Pennsylvania veterans to discuss healthcare legislation. The paper reported that after Fetterman’s staff told the veterans he wasn’t feeling well, he showed up about an hour later in his office appearing fine and then conducted an interview on Fox News.

“It was my intention to meet with the group,” Fetterman said in the statement to CNN. “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.”

The Journal report is not the first to cite aides raising alarms over Fetterman’s behavior. Last year, New York Magazine reported on a 2024 letter from Adam Jentleson, who had served as Fetterman’s chief of staff, raising concerns over his behavior and mental health. The senator was hospitalized for depression in 2023 for about six weeks and has been open about receiving treatment.

At the time, Fetterman had a similar response, telling CNN in May 2025 that the story cited “disgruntled staffers” with a “weird grudge.”

Jentleson said on X last week that the recent Wall Street Journal report cited “an entirely new group of staff who have rotated in and apparently find themselves horrified at Fetterman’s behavior.”

安娜·莫尼梅克/盖蒂图片社

参议员约翰·费特曼猛烈抨击那些指责他对工作漠不关心、经常缺席选民见面会的前助手，称他们是“心怀不满的员工”，散布“诽谤”来损害他的名誉。

这位宾夕法尼亚州民主党第一任参议员在本周末打破沉默。此前，《华尔街日报》公布了短信内容，并援引前工作人员的话称，费特曼越来越热衷于讨好保守派媒体，而不是履行美国参议员应尽的批判性工作。

现在，费特曼的前幕僚们在X网站上创建了一个匿名账户，并威胁要公开更多关于这位参议员的负面信息。费特曼目前在党内支持率下滑，同时还与左翼就以色列、伊朗和移民问题发生冲突——而他正面临着2028年可能举行的连任竞选。这位参议员曾在7月份直言不讳地警告说，如果民主党采取反以色列政策，他将退出民主党——这是他迄今为止最直接的威胁之一。

由于与内部员工关系出现严重裂痕，费特曼在本周末向CNN发表公开声明，此前他未回复《华尔街日报》的置评请求。他称这篇文章是“心怀不满的员工对他发起的第三篇攻击性文章”。

“一如既往——谎言、半真半假的信息、影射、抹黑和匿名攻击，”费特曼说道，随后又补充道：“无论有多少抹黑或谣言，我都为能继续为宾夕法尼亚州服务而感到自豪。”

在声明中，费特曼回应了《华尔街日报》报道中泄露的三条短信，辩称这些短信“脱离了任何背景和情况”。

据《华尔街日报》报道，在去年九月的一条短信中，费特曼询问他的工作人员，为什么他不得不“不断地与”费城儿童医院（CHOP）的官员会面。

“因为他们担心医疗补助计划会被削减，”助手说。

费特曼回答说：“嗯，我不是。”

费特曼在给 CNN 的声明中称那番言论是“一个愚蠢的玩笑，对此我真诚地道歉”。

但这位参议员补充说，他已经“通过线上和线下方式”与费城医院的官员会面，并指着他在 X 上发布的一张照片。

他说：“我和我的办公室一直以来都支持 CHOP，将来也会继续支持他们的诉求以及我们能够协助的任何其他需求。”

《华尔街日报》的报道还披露，费特曼缺席了去年九月在他家乡约克附近殉职的三名警官的葬礼，报道援引了一条短信，其中这位参议员抱怨葬礼持续了三个小时。

据《华尔街日报》报道，费特曼在短信中写道：“这可能根本行不通。”

费特曼在给 CNN 的声明中表示，他已采取措施表达慰问并与受影响的家庭成员会面。

“在那场悲剧发生的当天，我们私下订购了鲜花送给遇难者家属，并公开表达了我的慰问，”他说道，并引用了他在X网站上发表的悼念文章。“今年六月，我私下参加了在约克举行的‘隧道到塔楼’（Tunnel to Towers）项目筹款活动，为遇难者家属募捐。我直接与他们的警长和家属会面，表达了我个人的慰问。”

据《华尔街日报》报道，费特曼还缺席了原定与三名瘫痪的宾夕法尼亚州退伍军人讨论医改法案的会面。该报称，费特曼的幕僚告知退伍军人他身体不适后，大约一小时后，他出现在办公室，看起来一切正常，随后接受了福克斯新闻的采访。

费特曼在给CNN的声明中说：“我原本打算与该小组会面。会面之前，我在家呕吐，所以我让我的工作人员继续进行会议，他们也照做了。几个小时后，我感觉好多了，可以按计划继续当天的工作。”

《华尔街日报》的报道并非首例援引助手对费特曼行为发出警告的报道。去年，《纽约杂志》曾报道过费特曼的前幕僚长亚当·詹特尔森在2024年写的一封信，信中表达了对费特曼行为和心理健康的担忧。这位参议员在2023年因抑郁症住院约六周，并公开承认自己接受过治疗。

当时，费特曼的回应类似，他在 2025 年 5 月告诉 CNN，该报道引用了“心怀不满的员工”的“奇怪怨恨”。

Jentleson 上周在 X 节目中表示，《华尔街日报》最近的报道援引了“一批新员工的说法，他们显然对 Fetterman 的行为感到震惊”。