Fetterman Ex-Staffers Vow Exposé as Missing Senate Duties Surface

After a WSJ report on Sen. Fetterman's skipped duties, former staffers vow to release screenshots when the Senate returns Sept. 14.

A Wall Street Journal exclusive published late Thursday detailed how Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has withdrawn from many public appearances, including skipping a meeting request from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over Medicaid cuts. Nearly 12 hours later, a new X account appeared claiming to be composed of the senator's former staffers, warning that the report was only the "tip of the iceberg" and promising more stories and screenshots when the Senate returns on Sept. 14, according to Straight Arrow News. Fetterman's office did not respond to the WSJ or to Straight Arrow's request for comment.

According to Mediaite, the WSJ reports that Fetterman canceled a June meeting with three paralyzed military veterans who traveled to Washington about legislation affecting their care, then arrived at his office for a Fox News interview. Mediaite reports the Journal also found Fetterman was marked present at 26 of 31 full committee hearings since last June while saying nothing in 20 of them, and that he called a joint funeral for three York, Pa., officers a possible "nonstarter" after learning it would run three hours. Former state lawmaker Anthony Hardy Williams told the Journal Fetterman was available but simply chose not to meet a busload of constituents.

The Journal's reporting rests on interviews with more than a dozen former staffers and lawmakers, along with internal records and messages, Mediaite reports. One detail Mediaite highlights: staffers blocked an Israel op-ed drafted from points supplied by Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, citing Foreign Agents Registration Act concerns, and the plan was dropped. The story split opinion online — Straight Arrow notes WhiteHawk Energy founder Daniel Harz called it a "weak article" tied to the senator's defense of Israel, while the ex-staffers' account insists more revelations are coming. Both outlets report Fetterman and his office have not responded to the allegations.

The revelations land at a politically consequential moment. Mediaite notes Fetterman's growing distance from Democrats and popularity among Republican voters have fueled speculation about his future in the party; he has denied considering a switch but said he would leave if Democrats became "the anti-Israel party," and he is next up for reelection in 2028. Straight Arrow places the episode in a broader pattern of ex-staffers going public against former employers, citing Kyrsten Sinema, Shri Thanedar and George Santos. With promised screenshots due when the Senate reconvenes Sept.