Fetterman faces new spotlight on health, family drama, sparking online uproar

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A new exposé about Sen. John Fetterman's, D-Pa., time on Capitol Hill set social media ablaze on Friday.

The report raised questions about alleged tensions with his wife, Gisele, over his health regimen, his stance on Israel and her reported run-ins with his staff.

In "All By Himself: John Fetterman insists he is in good health, but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew," New York Magazine’s Intelligencer lays out recollections from current and former staff members who worked for the Pennsylvania Democrat. In May 2022, Fetterman suffered a serious stroke mid-Senate campaign against Dr. Mehmet Oz.

The article relates several reported instances, including a February 2023 situation at a Democratic caucus retreat at the Library of Congress.

A staffer told the outlet that he received a message questioning how Fetterman was doing, as he was found sitting at a table alone, silently drinking a soda.

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The report went on to claim the lawmaker was "nearly struck by a car" and found "wandering" Capitol Hill.

Physicians at George Washington University Hospital later determined he was severely dehydrated, and had not had a second stroke as feared.

An ensuing discussion with then-Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, found Fetterman to be nearly "catatonic" when Brown tried to talk with him. Soon after, on Feb. 15, he was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center.

After being discharged, Fetterman "threw himself into" his Senate work and became more vociferous than ever on issues like the Israel-Gaza conflict and other topics that have rankled his Democratic colleagues.

He also took a leading role in calling for the ouster of now-former Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., amid corruption allegations.

"Former and current staffers paint a picture of an erratic senator who has become almost impossible to work for and whose mental-health situation is more serious and complicated than previously reported," the article read.

After staffers wrote a letter about Fetterman's "gutting betrayal" supporting Israel, the report went on to allege Gisele confronted him about Jerusalem "bombing refugee camps — how can you support this?"

Gisele reportedly also went to staffers with her concerns, while a Senate physician in December 2023 reported him "acting bizarrely" near the Senate subway, while he had not had bloodwork in months.

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