A series of leaked text messages from Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has revealed growing panic among his congressional staff over his sharp pivot toward conservative policy positions and rhetoric. The private communications, originally obtained by New York Magazine, show the 56-year-old Democrat openly mocking progressive policies, dismissing high-profile political scandals, and accusing his own party of hypocrisy.
The leaks highlight an ongoing identity crisis inside Fetterman’s office, where staffers reportedly feel the senator is increasingly acting like a Republican. The friction comes at a tumultuous time for the lawmaker, who just lost his third chief of staff since taking office in early 2023.
According to the report, Fetterman initiated an exchange in January by sending staffers an article noting that annual healthcare costs for a typical working American family hover around $4,000.
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“How should it cost? Free?” Fetterman wrote in the message. “I don’t understand what affordability it is.”
That same month, as public pressure mounted for the release of documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, Fetterman brushed off the controversy to an aide. “Epstein was a nothing burger. Worst pics I’ve seen were from Clinton lol,” he texted.
The text messages also show Fetterman pushing back against the Democratic outcry over the death of Alex Pretti, a nurse who was shot in the back by federal agents during anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Pretti’s death a homicide. Fetterman, however, privately questioned why his party rushed to Pretti’s defense, drawing a parallel to the highly polarized 2020 Kenosha shootings involving Kyle Rittenhouse.
“Kyle Rittenhouse brought a gun to a protest,” Fetterman texted a staffer. “He was roundly condemned for that. Why are now democrats defending the nurse it was legal to carry. Both legal weapons. Square that.”
While both incidents involved the legal carrying of firearms, the situations differed significantly. Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two, during civil unrest in Wisconsin and was later acquitted of homicide charges at trial. Pretti did not fire a weapon before being shot by federal authorities.
These private clashes reflect a broader, public shift in Fetterman’s legislative behavior. He has frequently broken ranks with his party, most recently on Tuesday when he stood as the sole Senate Democrat to vote against a War Powers Resolution regarding conflict with Iran.
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The political fallout from Fetterman’s ideological shift has been severe. According to a Quinnipiac poll from March, Fetterman’s net popularity among his Democratic constituents plummeted from a positive 68 points in 2023 to a negative 40 points—representing a massive 108-point swing.
The internal workplace tension is not entirely new. Last May, several current and former aides told reporters that Fetterman occasionally exhibited erratic and manic behavior.
Fetterman has consistently pushed back against those characterizations, dismissing them as the complaints of disgruntled former employees. He maintains that he remains fully healthy and capable of executing his Senate duties following a major stroke during his 2022 campaign.
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