Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) lashed out Sunday at former aides who accused him of ditching constituents for face time on Fox News, arguing they'd masked crucial context: an X post, some flowers and vomit.
In an exclusive report from CNN Fetterman dismissed three claims made by “disgruntled staffers” he argued were out to tarnish his reputation by speaking to the Wall Street Journal and organizing an anonymous account on X.
“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.”
Fetterman then responded to three specific anecdotes revealed to the Wall Street Journal he argued had been “stripped of any context and circumstances," CNN reported.
The first was that he complained about frequent meetings with officials from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"They are worried about vaccines and Medicaid cuts,” an aide told Fetterman. He replied; “Well, I’m not.”
In his statement to CNN, Fetterman said that his comment was just a “dumb joke, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”
Fetterman then responded to the Journal's report that he skipped a funeral for three police officers killed near his hometown and complained the service was too long.
“On the day of that tragedy, we privately ordered flowers to be delivered for their families and expressed my condolences publicly,” Fetterman said, referring to a post on X.
Finally, Fetterman responded to the report that he'd skipped a meeting with three paralyzed veterans, claiming he didn't feel well, then conducted an interview on Fox News.
“I was at home throwing up, so I asked my staff to continue with the meeting which they did," said Fetterman. "Hours later, I felt well enough to continue the day as scheduled.”