After an explosive New York magazine article documenting concerns about his mental health from former and current staffers, Sen. John Fetterman on Tuesday rebuffed the reporting and denied there are concerns about his health.
“It’s a one-source story, with a couple anonymous sources, hit piece from a very left publication,” Fetterman told NBC News. The Pennsylvania Democrat, who has cultivated an eccentric obstinance on the Hill, added, “There’s really nothing more to say about it.”
The article, published Friday, includes quotes and details from his former chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, as well as other former and current staffers who were granted anonymity. They voiced concerns about Fetterman’s behavior and wondered whether the senator, who has publicly struggled with depression, was taking his medication.
According to New York magazine:
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. No one is saying every controversial position (for example, his respectful relationship with Trump) stems from his mental health — but it’s become harder for them to tell which ones do.
Fetterman sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression in early 2023, after his mental health issues intensified following a stroke on the campaign trail the year before. He told NBC News in late 2023 that he had feared seeking treatment would be the end of his political career, but since being discharged, he was “living his best life.”
Although many voters regarded him as a no-nonsense progressive during his campaign, Fetterman as senator has angered some on the left and other Democrats over his extreme pro-Israel stance and his apparent acquiescence to some of the Trump administration’s policies and positions.
In May 2024, Jentleson wrote to Fetterman’s neuropsychiatrist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to express concern that Fetterman was exhibiting “the kind of alarming behavior you told us to look out for when he was discharged” and that he appeared to be “off his recovery plan.” The letter, first reported by New York magazine, was also obtained by NBC News.
Fetterman told reporters that his doctors think he’s doing “great” and that he has been attending regular check-ups and sticking to his wellness regimen, according to CNN. He accused Jentleson of holding a “weird grudge” and said that his former staffer could have talked to him instead of “going to the media.”
Fetterman also dismissed others who voiced concerns about his mental health. “They’re not,” he told reporters Tuesday. “They’re actually not concerned.”
