Sen. John Fetterman is facing unusually sharp criticism from fellow Pennsylvania Democrats after leaked text messages and accounts from former aides raised questions about how frequently he participates in constituent meetings, Senate hearings and events in his home state.
The controversy erupted after The Wall Street Journal published an investigation based on internal communications and interviews with more than a dozen former Fetterman staffers and lawmakers.
The report portrayed the Pennsylvania Democrat as increasingly disengaged from some of the routine responsibilities of a U.S. senator while devoting considerable attention to media appearances and his outspoken advocacy for Israel.
CBS News subsequently obtained and reviewed some of the same text messages and said a former Fetterman staffer confirmed the accuracy of the Journal’s reporting.
The disclosures prompted immediate criticism from Democrats in Fetterman’s home state.
Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., accused Fetterman of showing “no sense of duty” and criticized what he described as laziness and disrespect toward constituents. Deluzio also suggested Fetterman could face political consequences if he seeks another term in 2028.
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., went further, calling Fetterman a “disgrace” and saying Pennsylvania deserved better representation.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democratic National Committee vice chair who ran against Fetterman in the 2022 Senate primary, called the Journal’s findings “horrifying” and pointed ahead to the 2028 election.
The underlying report detailed several episodes involving constituents.
In June, three paralyzed military veterans traveled from rural Pennsylvania to Washington to meet with Fetterman about health-care legislation.
According to the Journal and CBS News, Fetterman canceled the meeting and told his staff he was suffering from a stomach illness. His aides met with the veterans instead.
Later that day, Fetterman appeared for a television interview on Fox News dealing with Israel and the conflict with Iran.
Fetterman disputes the suggestion that he fabricated the illness to avoid the veterans.
He told CNN that he had been at home vomiting before the scheduled meeting and instructed his staff to proceed without him. Several hours later, he said, he felt well enough to resume his scheduled activities.
“It was my intention” to meet the veterans, Fetterman told CNN.
Another series of text messages involved officials from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
When an aide told Fetterman that hospital representatives wanted to discuss Medicaid cuts and vaccine policy, the senator questioned why he needed to continue meeting with them.
“Well I’m not,” Fetterman responded after the aide explained that hospital officials were worried about those issues.
He later suggested in the exchange that the hospital representatives wanted “free trips to DC.”
Fetterman subsequently apologized for that comment.
He told CNN it had been a “dumb joke” and pointed out that he has met with Children’s Hospital officials both virtually and in person. He said his office has supported the hospital’s requests and would continue working with the institution.
The Journal also reported on Fetterman’s response to funeral services for three police officers killed near York, Pennsylvania.
Text messages reviewed by CBS showed Fetterman questioning the length of the ceremony after an aide told him it would last approximately three hours and effectively combine services for all three officers.
“This may be a nonstarter,” Fetterman replied, while also noting the lengthy round-trip drive required to attend.
Fetterman ultimately did not attend.
He later defended his response to the tragedy, telling CNN that his office sent flowers to the victims’ families and that he publicly expressed condolences. He also said he subsequently attended a Tunnel to Towers fundraiser in York and personally met members of the officers’ families and their police chief.
The concerns raised by former aides extend beyond individual constituent meetings.
The Journal reported that during one stretch Fetterman missed 11 of 12 full hearings conducted by committees on which he served.
Former aides also alleged that staff members sometimes arranged for Fetterman to appear briefly at hearings so that Senate records would list him as present before he departed.
The Journal further reported that Fetterman went nearly a year without holding an official public event in Pennsylvania before appearing at one earlier this summer.
Former staffers described repeated struggles to persuade the senator to attend meetings, hearings and other events that they considered important to representing Pennsylvania.
One former aide told CBS News that policy and strategy discussions with Fetterman could become difficult and unpredictable.
Fetterman has strongly rejected the overall portrayal.
In his first extended response to the controversy, he told CNN that the Journal story represented another attack by dissatisfied former employees and described the allegations as a mixture of “lies, half-truths, innuendos” and anonymous claims.
He said specific text messages cited in the reporting had been stripped of their surrounding circumstances.
“No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said.
The dispute reflects a widening rift between Fetterman and parts of the Democratic Party that once strongly supported his political rise.
Fetterman won election to the Senate in 2022 after defeating Republican Mehmet Oz. At the time, he enjoyed substantial support from progressive Democrats.
Since then, however, he has broken with his party on several prominent issues.
Fetterman has been one of the Democratic Party’s most outspoken supporters of Israel and has repeatedly criticized Democrats he considers insufficiently supportive of the country. He has also joined Republicans on several major votes, including measures related to the Iran conflict and some Trump administration nominees.
Those disagreements have fueled speculation that Fetterman might eventually leave the Democratic Party, something he has repeatedly denied.
