JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has faced a wave of public criticism, and he's become increasingly alienated from the Democratic Party for his strong support of Israel and its war on Gaza, among other issues. And now, a social media account purported to be run by his former staffers is promising to share stories and screenshots to, quote, "show Pennsylvanians exactly who their senator is." This comes as Democrats hope they can take back the majority in this fall's midterm elections. And as Congress returns to Washington after a weeks' long summer recess, let's bring in Adam Jentleson. He's a Democratic strategist who was Fetterman's first Senate chief of staff. Hi there.
ADAM JENTLESON: Hi, Juana.
SUMMERS: So I just want to get one thing out of the way quickly and just ask you - are you among this group of former staffers posting on social media promising to release screenshots or other details of Fetterman's texts and communications?
JENTLESON: I'm not. And, you know, the other thing I'll say about that is that I believe it's important, when you want to get information out to the public, to do it on the record and put your name on it, so - especially if it's critical. I just think that helps the public evaluate the information that they're getting. So that's my recommendation.
SUMMERS: I mean, there's been a number of recent reports, including, notably, The Wall Street Journal, that claim that Fetterman has been skipping key meetings with key constituencies, that he's largely stopped participating in caucus lunches and committee meetings. I won't - just note that NPR has not independently confirmed those details. But hearing that, reading that, how does that square with the man that you used to work for?
JENTLESON: It does square with my experience. I think one of the things - you know, a lot of the folks who worked for him come from very ideologically diverse backgrounds, and he certainly is an ideologically diverse person. And the people who go to work for him reflect that. But what has troubled people is a degree of unwillingness to just perform the duties of the job as someone whose salary is paid for by the taxpayers. What I have seen in The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere does square with my experience when I worked for him.
SUMMERS: And I'll note that Fetterman responded to those reports from The Wall Street Journal describing them as lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and pointing out the fact that they're anonymous. And he says he's proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania. I wonder, when you think about Fetterman's record, compared to what he campaigned on, do you think the people of Pennsylvania are getting what and who they voted for?
JENTLESON: I think when it comes to ideology, they definitely are. He made no bones about being a strong supporter of Israel when he ran for Senate in 2022. He had that position when I worked for him. I think where the people of Pennsylvania are getting a raw deal is just not having someone who represents their interests. You know, I mean, this is somebody who has shown they're not willing to meet with representatives of a children's hospital who are coming to his office to discuss the Medicaid cuts that they're being devastated by, who refused to go to a funeral of three police officers who were killed in a line of duty in his hometown of York, Pennsylvania. So those are the issues that I think are really at stake here, and that's where the people of Pennsylvania are not wrong to feel like they're sort of down a senator.
SUMMERS: Now, you resigned as Fetterman's chief of staff back in 2024, and at the time, you were vocal and cited concerns about senator's mental health. I wonder - to what degree are you still in touch with people in that office now, and what have you heard?
JENTLESON: Not to a big degree. I've heard that the concerns that I expressed are still real. But, you know, that's apparent to me just by observing him. You know, look, I'm not a doctor. I'm not here to diagnose him. I just think this is somebody who's really struggling and needs help, and he is entitled to struggle. He's entitled to get help, and I hope he does. I think he's not necessarily entitled to a Senate seat. And if he can't perform the duties of the office, the people of Pennsylvania deserve better.
SUMMERS: Fetterman made some waves with a surprise video appearance at the Republican midterm convention. I wonder what your take is on Fetterman praising Republicans and prioritizing those relationships.
JENTLESON: I think it's great to reach out to Republicans. A lot of those relationships were developed while I was working for him, and I thought that was a very refreshing thing. I think what is confusing about it is, you know, prioritizing that over the things that he was elected to deliver for the people of Pennsylvania. You know, I would be the first to say Democrats should break with their party on issues they believe in strongly or that they should build relationships across the aisle. I think all of that worthy and the right thing to do as a senator. But sort of taking these high-profile instances to promote the Republican Party in a political context, just as an opportunity to sort of take swipes at his own party, seems more like attention-seeking behavior than it does the duties of the office.
SUMMERS: Adam, I have to say, as someone who's covered politics for a long time, it's incredibly striking to me seeing a Democrat at a convention boosting the Republican Party at a time when Democrats are claiming that Republicans have made life harder and more expensive for Americans. I mean, can we just talk about the optics here? Like, what does this mean, knowing that we are really just weeks away from the midterm elections?
JENTLESON: Well, you know, you could question the instincts. I mean, the Republican Party is taking on water at the moment. Trump's numbers are plummeting. Republican candidates are struggling, even in districts that Trump won by, you know, 10, 15, 20 points in 2024. So to sort of try to go and give them help at a time when Americans are turning hard on the Republican Party because the Republican Party is making their lives harder, to me, demonstrates somewhat questionable instincts.
SUMMERS: This is also coming after there has just been so much speculation about whether Senator Fetterman would jump ship, abandon the Democratic Party. What do you think the path forward is for him with his party in this moment?
JENTLESON: I think Democrats should just focus on winning as many Senate seats as they possibly can in the upcoming midterms, because I think he's going to continue to be very unpredictable. You know, if the Senate is evenly divided and his seat is the difference between one party controlling or the other, there's a very high likelihood that he would switch or become independent. So I think the best thing Democrats can do in the meantime is just put every resource they have into winning as many Senate seats as they possibly can so that it won't be the difference between whether they control the chamber or not.
SUMMERS: We've been speaking with Adam Jentleson. He's former chief of staff to Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman and president of the liberal think tank the Searchlight Institute. Adam, thanks as always.
JENTLESON: Thank you.
SUMMERS: And a note that we reached out to Senator Fetterman's office for comment, and we didn't hear back by airtime. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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