Sen. John Fetterman’s former deputy chief of staff has accused his former boss of being uninterested in serving Pennsylvanians amid concerns of a party switch at a pivotal time for Democrats.
On Monday’s CNN News Central segment, host Brianna Keilar spoke to former Fetterman aide Tré Easton about an X account, supposedly run by the senator’s former staffers, which vowed to publish screenshots they say are damaging to Fetterman.
Keilar read from the September 4 thread, which said the former staffers are “disgusted with what [Fetterman’s] become” and that The Wall Street Journal story about his disinterest is “just the tip of the iceberg” and “it’s even worse.” The “Former Fetterman Staffers” account then said they’ll share the first drop of screenshots exposing the senator on September 14—the day the Senate returned to session.
The post concluded with a dig at Fetterman, saying, “Let’s be honest, maybe the 15th: he’ll skip Monday’s votes.”
As of 1 p.m. on September 15, the X account has not released an update.
Easton, Fetterman’s former deputy chief of staff, said that although he isn’t involved with the account and couldn’t confirm who is, he alluded to the possible nature of the material, saying Fetterman is a “colorful texter” and “very blunt.”
However, Easton didn’t want to focus on the leak itself. He said he wants the public to focus on the fact that this is even happening in the first place.
“I’ve worked in and around U.S. Senate politics for basically the entirety of my career, and I cannot point to a time in history where staffers have felt compelled to sound the alarm about their principal this way,” Easton told Keilar.
Part of the reason Easton left the staff was due to Fetterman’s escalating views on Israel and Iran, but he said the senator has also proven “time and time again” that he’s “just not interested in doing the work.”
“I feel like there is a duty for the people of Pennsylvania to understand that they don’t have two senators right now,” Easton said. “They have David McCormick, who is leading the other senator around.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Fetterman has not only skipped and resisted meetings with Pennsylvanians, but he’s favored conservative media appearances to talk about his advocacy for Israel. The Democratic senator frequently goes on Fox News to talk against Democrats, and he delivered a video address at President Donald Trump’s Republican midterm convention last week.
The release of this exposé comes amid an increasingly strained relationship between Fetterman and his party, as Fetterman called The Wall Street Journal article a “hit piece from disgruntled staffers.”
On paper, Easton’s job was to serve as Fetterman’s chief policy advisor, putting together legislative proposals and making recommendations before he stepped on the Senate floor. In practice, though, he had to “beg” Fetterman to “do the bare minimum,” which meant meeting with constituents who traveled to see him and interacting with his colleagues.
“This is the job of a Senator. You talk to constituents, you talk to people who come to meet with you, because you, in theory, are representing their interests in the United States Senate. But… he’s not interested in serving Pennsylvanians in a real way,” Easton said.
The former deputy chief of staff said the senator would never explain why he’d evade meetings and interactions—he’d just give a simple, “No.”
Easton gave Sen. Chuck Schumer credit, saying he went to “great pains” to ensure Fetterman “felt included” as a member of the caucus, but “there’s only so much of that you can do when the principal himself wants to be isolated,” he said.
Keilar pointed out concern that if the Senate flips in November, Fetterman could switch parties. Easton said Fetterman ultimately just wants attention, and if he switches parties, he’d lose his status as “kingmaker and the most important member of the Democratic caucus.”
“He is getting attention [from these conversations about him], and I believe he likes that,” Easton said.
Fetterman has addressed the flipping rumors, saying he intends to be the 51st vote that he ran his campaign on. But his speaking at the Republican convention in Dallas was viewed as “absurd” and deeply “offensive,” Easton said. The X account was created soon after.
Sen. Peter Welch appeared to be treading lightly in an interview with Politico last week, saying Fetterman is a friend and an important member of the caucus.
Easton said the saddest part is that the Democratic Party is facing a moment when politicians need to have vision and honest conversations about its fate.
“He should be at the forefront of that conversation, and he’s just not,” Easton said. “If he’s still listening to me, I would hope that he would recognize that he is miserable in this job. And because he’s miserable, he’s made the people around him miserable. I would hope that that would lead him to the conclusion that he should not seek reelection.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Fetterman’s team for comment.
