Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman dismissed a Wall Street Journal report detailing allegations that he has neglected his Senate duties, calling it a “hit piece from disgruntled staffers” in a statement to CNN on September 6. Fetterman, who did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment before publication, characterized the criticism as a pattern of attacks orchestrated by former employees with a grudge.
The Journal’s September 3 report, based on interviews with more than a dozen former staffers and internal communications, alleged that Fetterman has skipped constituent meetings, dodged scheduled gatherings with paralyzed military veterans, missed committee hearings, and prioritized appearances on conservative media over his Senate responsibilities. In his response, Fetterman argued that the text messages cited in the report were “stripped of any context and circumstances.”
Fetterman addressed three specific allegations. On a text message in which he questioned why he had to “keep having to meet” with officials from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), calling it a “dumb joke,” he said he has met with the hospital “virtually and in person” and remains committed to supporting their requests. Regarding his absence from a funeral for three police officers killed near his hometown of York, Pennsylvania, Fetterman said he privately ordered flowers for the families and later attended a Tunnel to Towers fundraiser in June where he met directly with family members to express condolences. For the canceled meeting with paralyzed veterans in June, he explained he had been ill beforehand and asked staff to continue without him, adding that he felt well enough hours later to resume his schedule.
Fetterman’s dismissal of the allegations echoes previous staff criticism. In 2024, Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s former chief of staff, wrote a letter to the senator’s doctors expressing concerns about his mental health and behavior, according to reporting by New York Magazine in May 2025. Jentleson warned that Fetterman was not seeing his doctors regularly and had pushed away people providing support. Fetterman responded to that earlier report in May 2025 by telling CNN that the story cited “disgruntled staffers” with a “weird grudge.”
The pattern of staff allegations now spans more than a year. Jentleson noted on social media this week that the latest WSJ report cited “an entirely new group of staff who have rotated in and apparently find themselves horrified at Fetterman’s behavior.” Former staffers have since created an anonymous account on social media platform X, promising to reveal additional unflattering details about the senator’s office. Fetterman is up for reelection in 2028 and has faced repeated clashes with fellow Democrats over his positions on Israel, Iran, and immigration. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has publicly backed the Pennsylvania senator despite the internal party tensions.
Sources
- CNN — Fetterman’s statement calling the WSJ report “the third hit piece from disgruntled staffers” and his specific rebuttals to allegations about CHOP, the police funeral, and the veterans meeting
- USA Today — Fetterman’s statement to CNN and details of the WSJ report’s allegations
- New York Magazine — Adam Jentleson’s 2024 letter to Fetterman’s doctors and Fetterman’s prior response in May 2025
- Fox News — Report on former staffers’ threats to reveal additional details via anonymous X account
