Questions raised about Sen. Fetterman's mental health after recent controversies
Recent outbursts and stories surrounding Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania have raised questions from those on Capitol Hill and in his inner circle about his mental health.
Viral video of Sen. John Fetterman
A video of Fetterman on a flight back to Pittsburgh shows him arguing with a flight attendant over his seat buckle, which the attendant said needed to be visible.
"Sir, if you want to go to Pittsburgh, it's simple. You have to follow our instructions or you're going to be asked to get off the plane," the flight attendant said.
The video recently went viral, along with a report in New York Magazine quoting concerns by his former chief of staff about Fetterman's mental health, in light of outbursts and "long, rambling, repetitive and self-centered monologues."
Fetterman responds to allegations about mental health
"It's like a hit piece," Fetterman told CNN about the story.
Earlier this week, Fetterman dismissed the statements that, after being treated for depression last year, he went off his medication and treatment plan and became increasingly unpredictable and confrontational, something Fetterman denies.
"My doctors were like John is, is great, and I am on all of the plan that it's always been, and it's incredibly invasive," Fetterman told CNN.
KDKA spoke with another former staffer who backed up concerns. The staffer told KDKA that Fetterman was calm and settled after being treated for depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last year, but that his behavior shifted months later. Outbursts were frequent as he became angry and confrontational with staff, the staffer said.
Fetterman has called the reports part of a left-wing backlash against his shift to the right, his strong support of Israel and his meeting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
But after the CNN interview, an Associated Press report has surfaced about a meeting between Fetterman and leaders of a Pennsylvania teachers union in which he reportedly slammed his fist on his desk, yelling, "why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do."
Fetterman's office released a statement calling it a "spirited discussion" and affirmed his support of teachers.
"If it's a one-off, you can explain it away," political consultant Mike Bulter told KDKA. "But there have now been multiple instances."
Butler says Fetterman needs to reassure the public he is mentally fit.
"Voters have to have a sense of who their senator is and what's going in in his life," Butler said. "And he has to really come out and address this in a way that puts people at comfort with the circumstances."
But Fetterman says he is about the business of being a United States senator. When asked if he would finish his term, Fetterman scoffed at the question, saying "everybody knows I had depression."
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick shows support for Fetterman
Pennsylvania's other U.S. senator, Dave McCormick, is showing his support for Fetterman on the social media platform X.
McCormick said, in part, that it's time to stop the "vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health."
