John Fetterman Fires Back at WSJ Allegations, Calling Them Lies and Half Truths

Fetterman specifically addressed several incidents highlighted in the initial reporting. Regarding a meeting with officials from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the report alleged the senator responded flippantly. Fetterman apologized for what he called a dumb joke made to his staff, pointing out that he has maintained a record of publicly meeting with representatives from the renowned hospital.

Contested Meetings and Public Appearances

The investigative piece also reported that Fetterman backed out of a funeral for three police officers shot and killed near his hometown in York County after discovering the service could last longer than three hours. According to his statement to CNN, Fetterman privately sent flowers to the families, publicly expressed condolences on social media, and later met with the families at a fundraiser earlier this year.

Staffers cited in the reporting also expressed concern when Fetterman canceled a health care meeting with paralyzed veterans from Pennsylvania because he was feeling sick, only to appear in the office less than an hour later for a Fox News segment discussing Israel and the Iran war. Fetterman defended the sequence of events, insisting he had intended to meet with the veterans while he was at home throwing up, and only came into the office hours later after he felt well enough to continue his scheduled workday.

Other allegations in the Journal report went unaddressed in Fetterman’s initial CNN response, including claims that he refused to meet with constituents from a flood-prone area of Philadelphia who traveled to Washington alongside state Senator Anthony Hardy Williams. He was available. He just chose not to meet with us, Williams told The Wall Street Journal, adding that his group saw Fetterman in the hallways but that the senator refused to acknowledge them. Fetterman’s office also did not immediately comment on allegations that he declined a meeting with Pennsylvania state Representative Liz Hanbidge regarding homelessness issues, though he met with former Auburn University basketball coach and Israel advocate Bruce Pearl on the same day.

Political Backdrop and Legislative Record

Fetterman, a Democrat and former lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, won election to the United States Senate in 2022 and assumed office the following year. Since taking his seat, the senator has broken with his party’s prevailing views on major culture war issues and has voiced strong support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has crossed party lines on several legislative votes, including opposing limits on presidential war powers regarding Iran.

The senator has navigated significant health challenges since his 2022 campaign, during which he suffered a stroke, followed by treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed Medical Center in 2023. Previous internal friction became public when his former chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, voiced concerns to doctors regarding the senator’s mental health in 2024. Fetterman has consistently denied past allegations from Jentleson and other former aides.

No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania, Fetterman said in his statement to CNN.