Former John Fetterman campaign and Senate staffers are promising a wave of damaging revelations later this month, saying the Wall Street Journal report on the Pennsylvania Democrat's job performance was only the beginning.
A group of former campaign and Senate staffers for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is promising to go public with a wave of damaging inside details about the embattled lawmaker, warning that a scathing Wall Street Journal report on his job performance was only the beginning.
The new social media account, operating under the name Former Fetterman Staffers, posted this week that it is made up of people who worked for Fetterman and are disgusted with what he has become. Set your calendar for September 14th -- the day the Senate is back in session -- for our first drop, the group wrote, adding a jab that the revelations might slide to the 15th because he will likely skip Monday votes.
The account's warning landed as Fetterman faces a growing political crisis over the Journal's Thursday report, which painted a picture of a senator reluctant to engage in the basic duties of his office. Former staffers say the published account barely scratches the surface.
If you were troubled by yesterday's Wall Street Journal story, trust us, that's just the tip of the iceberg, the group wrote on X. It's even worse than you thought. The account did not preview specific allegations but set a concrete timeline for its first release once senators return to Washington.
According to the Journal's reporting, Fetterman routinely blew off constituent meetings, neglected legislative review and declined to make in-state public appearances. The report also highlighted an instance in which the senator skipped a meeting with paralyzed military veterans, an episode that has drawn particular anger in his home state.
The story quickly ignited a revolt among Pennsylvania Democrats who have grown frustrated with Fetterman's absences, his erratic public schedule and his habit of cozying up to Republicans and conservative media while the party's base turns against him. Some in the party have begun openly discussing whether he can be stopped in a future primary.
Fetterman's fellow Pennsylvania Democrats did not hold back. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., said the report shows the senator has no sense of duty, pointing to what he called laziness, disrespect and a willingness to carry water for a foreign government.
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., was blunter, calling Fetterman a disgrace and saying the state deserves better than a lazy trust fund baby who is too lazy to do the job. Malcolm Kenyatta, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, said the report is horrifying but not new, noting Fetterman was constantly MIA during his time as lieutenant governor as well.
Even Conor Lamb, the former congressman who lost to Fetterman in the 2022 Democratic primary, piled on, telling the senator directly: If there is a decent bone left in your body, just quit.
Not everyone is sympathetic to the staffers' campaign. Some conservative commentators, including former Bush administration speechwriter Marc Thiessen, accused the group of disloyalty, arguing that aides who disagree with a boss should resign quietly rather than launch a public attack account.
Republican strategist Mark Morgan echoed that view, blasting the former aides for cashing in on their time in the senator's office. The criticism did little to slow the story, however, as national outlets picked up the staffers' promise and new polling questions began circulating about Fetterman's standing with Pennsylvania voters.
Fetterman's office has not responded to the staffers' latest threats. The former aides say the first round of new allegations drops the week of September 14th, when the Senate reconvenes -- a moment that could determine whether Fetterman's intraparty troubles become a full-blown political emergency heading into the next election cycle.