Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., vowed to remain in office despite a "one-source hit piece" story that alleged he's unfit to serve.
Current and former Fetterman aides expressed concern over the senator's erratic behavior, policy shifts, and a resulting "toxic work environment," according to an expose published last week in New York Magazine's Intelligencer.
The expose said aides insisted Fetterman no longer is the politician he was before a May 2022 stroke.
After briefly pushing back on the report Tuesday, Fetterman discussed it at length during an interview with CNN.
He discussed his treatment for depression — he voluntarily checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2023 — and said he's following a strict protocol set by his doctors.
"It's a one-source hit piece, and it involved maybe two or three and anonymous disgruntled staffers saying just absolute false things," Fetterman said of the New York Magazine story.
Asked whether he planned to serve out his term, Fetterman replied, "Of course. … Obviously, everybody understands I was treated for depression."
CNN asked Fetterman if he planned to run for reelection.
"We're not talking about '28, he said. "Who knows what's going to happen in '28."
Fetterman also blasted people for discussing his health issues. In the magazine story, former and current staffers suggested he might be off his medication.
"It's incredibly invasive," he told CNN. "And why are people talking about anyone's personal medical things?"
The New York Magazine story included former Fetterman chief of staff Adam Jentleson and former staffers saying the senator "has become almost impossible to work for" and had a mental health situation more complicated than previously disclosed.
Fetterman denied that his mental health issues go beyond what he has publicly disclosed, saying it was "outrageous" to indicate otherwise.
"My doctors have confirmed that that is not the case," he said. "I've been very front and center about my … depression, absolutely none of these other things, and it's like so someone that was trying to accumulate my medical records and leak those things that's part of this weird grudge for this hit piece."
Jentleson told New York Magazine he offered his concerns out of fear for Fetterman's health and staff around him.
Fetterman, though, told CNN that Jentleson held a "weird grudge."
"If you're really concerned about someone, you could say, Hey, let's sit down. Can we talk? It's not … like going to the media," he said.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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