A trio of Republican senators came to the defense of their Democratic colleague John Fetterman today, accusing the media of a smear campaign.
Why it matters: It’s unusual to see this level of public defense for a member of the opposing party. But the GOP’s distrust of and distaste for the media are superseding political differences.
- A string of news articles, including from Axios, have revealed concerns from people close to the senator about whether the Pennsylvania Democrat’s long-acknowledged mental health issues are affecting his work.
1️⃣ Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) was first to publicly push back, calling to “stop these vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health.”
- “He is authentic, decent, principled, and a fighter. These disgraceful smears against him are not the John that I know and respect,” McCormick wrote in a X post today.
2️⃣ Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chair of the Senate GOP conference, called Fetterman a “decent and genuine guy.”
- “The radical left is smearing him with dishonest, vicious attacks because he’s pro-Israel and they only want reliable anti-Israel politicians,” Cotton said.
3️⃣ Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) posted: “The media ought to lay off Senator Fetterman.”
Between the lines: Multiple Senate GOP sources argued that Fetterman was being attacked by people in his own party because of his staunch pro-Israel stance, and a handful of votes with Republicans.
- Coverage of politicians’ health is a touchy subject right now, especially with former President Biden making his first press tour since leaving office.
- Some sources said the Fetterman health concerns should have been litigated in 2022 after his stroke and that, unlike Biden, senators interact with Fetterman themselves.
The bottom line: One source simply said they weren’t surprised by the defense, because Republicans are used to what they see as unfair negative coverage.
— Stef Kight