Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., urged members of his party and some media pundits to dial back on the hyperbolic language amid President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to drastically remake the size and scope of the federal government.
"When it was [President] Joe Biden, then you [had] a conservative judge jam it up on him, and now we have liberal judges that are going to stop these things — that's how the process works," Fetterman told HuffPost on Wednesday.
Fetterman remained skeptical of Musk's plans and labeled his goal of shutting down various agencies and putting thousands of federal works on leave "provocative" and "certainly a cause for concern," yet was not ready to label the efforts a crisis.
"There isn't a constitutional crisis, and all of these things — it's just a lot of noise," Fetterman said. "That's why I'm only gonna swing on the strikes."
Fetterman has received antipathy from progressives and praise from conservatives over his rightward leanings on illegal immigration, energy, and Israel. The senator from Pennsylvania's remarks run in stark contrast to some of his fellow Democrats who predict the end of democracy if the courts do not intervene to stop Trump and Musk.
"This isn't hyperbole to say that we are staring the death of democracy in the eyes right now," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told CNN. "The centerpiece of our democracy is that we observe court rulings.
"No one is above the law, and whether we like it or not, the courts interpret the law."
Fetterman's comments echo those Wednesday from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt who accused the media of "fearmongering the American people" into believing the Democrats' "narrative" of a constitutional crisis.
Fetterman has established himself as somewhat of a contrarian to the rest of the Democratic Party.
Although he did vote against recently confirmed Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Fetterman has let it be known he is willing to work with Trump.
"I'm still wishing him the best," he said. "I'm effectively rooting for him and all the nominees because they're working for America."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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