Lauren C. Moye, FISM News
In an apparent miracle, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn) appears to be back at work after multiple bills have surfaced naming him as a cosponsor even while continuing his hospitalization for severe depression.
Fetterman’s name has appeared four times as bill co-sponsor, and he has signed onto one letter since his hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center on Feb. 15. This has left some confusion as to how he is working while confined to the hospital for voluntary treatment.
It’s a question that Fetterman’s top staff are avoiding.
Stephen Miller, a contributing editor at the Spectator World, was allegedly blocked by Fetterman’s Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson after asking this very question.
Adam, who is co-signing and introducing Senate legislation from Senator Fetterman's office while he himself is currently hospitalized and under current medical observation?https://t.co/3P77DaZhK1
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 2, 2023
“Why is the chief of staff of a United States Senator blocking people on Twitter who are asking about the Senator’s constitutional ability to vote on or introduce legislation?” Miller later tweeted.
But even without Miller’s tweet, there have been plenty of inquiries on Jentleson’s social media that have also been ignored.
Fetterman’s official Twitter has also been active this past week, inviting further controversy.
For example, Fetterman has appeared as a cosponsor for the Railroad Safety Act – inspired by the Feb. 3 derailment of a train carrying hazardous material – announced this week. Fetterman’s Twitter account shared that he had joined with the Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown (D) and J. D. Vance (R) as a cosponsor of this act.
The majority of replies asked how Fetterman was acting from a hospital.
As a PA resident, serious question: If Sen Fetterman in in the hospital, and Gov Shapiro has not appointed a replacement, who is acting in his stead to introduce a bill in his name?
— Raymond Sestmann (@Chimptactical) March 2, 2023
Fetterman’s account also says he has cosponsored new legislation to stop illegal child labor, while his name appeared on a March 1 letter to Norfolk Southern Corporation, the railroad company involved in the East Palestine derailment.
It is unclear who is operating the account in Fetterman’s name.
His last health update was posted by Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s communications director, on Feb. 27, where it was shared that the hospitalization would be a “weeks-long process.”
Calvello said at the time that Fetterman was “visiting with staff and family daily,” with the staff keeping him updated on Senate business and news.
Fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr., another Democrat, applauded Fetterman for working “through stroke recovery and mental health issues.”
Like millions of Americans, @JohnFetterman is working through stroke recovery and mental health issues. I'm proud to call him a friend and my partner in the Senate.
Donald Trump Jr's disgusting attacks say a lot more about him than they do John Fetterman.
— Bob Casey Jr. (@Bob_Casey) March 4, 2023
Fetterman was also hospitalized in early February for residual effects from an earlier stroke he had while on the campaign trail. Just days after being released, Fetterman returned to the hospital where he was diagnosed with severe depression.
Casey’s statement acknowledges the lingering health concerns stroke victims have. Republicans frequently voiced these concerns before the general election held in November, but Democrats largely dismissed these concerns as an attack on Fetterman.
The statement was also a pushback against a comment about Pennsylvania electing “a vegetable” made by Donald Trump Jr. on Friday evening. The younger Trump referenced a theory that Fetterman is brain-dead but that fact is being concealed by Democrats.
Some social media users asked for Fetterman to post a video thanking supporters for their well-wishes if he was feeling well enough to work.
In addition to the health concerns, Fetterman’s wife Giselle raised eyebrows when she announced that she and her children had apparently fled the country and media questions, leaving Fetterman behind, in an impromptu vacation to Canada on Feb. 24.