Fetterman Dismisses Bombshell Report as ‘Smears’ and ‘Half-Truths’

The Pennsylvania senator defended his record after The Wall Street Journal published text messages of him seemingly shirking key Senate duties.

admin September 6, 2026 2 minutes read

Sen. John Fetterman hit back on Sunday against allegations from former staffers that he was shirking his responsibilities, downplaying the bombshell report as “smears” against him.

Fetterman told CNN in a statement that he rejected accusations detailed in The Wall Street Journal that the Pennsylvania Democrat neglected committee duties, dodged face time with constituents and complained about attending police officers’ funerals.

“Per usual — lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous,” Fetterman told CNN.

“No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania,” he added.

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The Journal’s report, posted Thursday night, cited text messages between Fetterman and his staffers in which he was reluctant to attend a funeral for fallen police officers and skipped meeting with Pennsylvania constituents.

The senator told CNN the messages were “stripped of any context and circumstances.”

Fetterman said that he made a “dumb joke” and he wished to “sincerely apologize” for a text exchange where he told a staffer he wasn’t concerned about Medicaid cuts raised by officials with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The senator said he had met with officials from the hospital and remained committed to advocating for it.