John Fetterman's wife continues to call for NBC reporter to be punished for asking about his medical status

The wife U.S. Senate candidate and current lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman is continuing to publicly attack NBC News reporter Dasha Burns over an interview where she questioned the Democratic candidate on his current medical status in the wake of having a near-fatal stroke that damaged his speech and auditory skills.

Burns tweeted that Fetterman seemed to be having trouble understanding her during small talk before the interview -- an observation that kicked off a wave of criticism from Fetterman's supporters, and even some in the media, accusing Burns of being "ableist" and intentionally doing damage to his campaign.

Fetterman's wife, Gisele, has taken things a step further, even calling for Burns to be punished over the interview, saying her description of her husband's difficulty having small talk left her feeling enraged. "I don't know how there were not consequences," she told podcaster Molly Jong-Fast.

Gisele Fetterman doubled down on her attacks against Burns in an exclusive interview with The Independent this Monday, saying that if "this happened in a school, if this was a child that was ableist towards another child or a teacher, there would've been issues stated. There would have been new training done."

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“What is being done at the media after a reporter came out so openly ableist towards a person?" she told The Independent. "I think shocked and appalled, but sadly not surprised. I know there's still so much to do, but it would be great to see some accountability, to actually see real change.”

She added that she would "love to see an apology towards the disability community from [Burns] and from her network for the damage they have caused."

“We have received so many messages from folks who said, ‘This is exactly why I'm afraid to seek accommodations. This is exactly why I'm afraid to pursue a different position because of exactly what your husband has gone through,’” she said. “So I think he's shown what he's experienced, but a lot of people saw themselves in him.”

Fetterman is locked in a tight race against former television host and physician Mehmet Oz. Polls show Fetterman with a slight lead that has eroded in recent months.

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