John Fetterman first seen in hospital during treatment for depression: Chief of staff posts photos of Democrat reviewing rail safety bill – two weeks after he was admitted to Walter Reed
- The Pennsylvania senator checked in for treatment on February 16
- His staff say: ‘John is on the right track to recovery… and will be back soon
- Put on. Trump, Jr. called Fetterman a ‘vegetable’ at CPAC this weekend
The public has its first sighting of Sen. John Fetterman since checking into hospital for clinical depression in photos released by his chief of staff on Monday.
The Pennsylvania Democrat walked into Walter Reed Medical Center 18 days ago, on Feb. 16, missing him in crucial Senate votes, but his staff say they have been in regular contact with him on labor matters.
‘Productive morning with Senator Fetterman at Walter Reed to discuss railroad safety legislation, the Farm Bill and other Senate business,’ Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson wrote in a tweet along with photos of him and Fetterman examining documents.
“John is on the road to recovery and wanted me to say how grateful he is for all the well wishes. He is laser focused on sound and will be back soon.
The public has its first sighting of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) since checking in with Walter Reed for depression. His chief of staff released photos on Monday
The Pennsylvania Democrat walked into Walter Reed Medical Center on Feb. 16, missing him for crucial Senate votes, but his staff say they’ve been in regular contact with him on labor matters.
“Productive morning with Senator Fetterman at Walter Reed to discuss railroad safety legislation, the Farm Bill and other Senate business,” Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson wrote in a tweet along with photos of him and the senator.
Fetterman signed bipartisan rail safety legislation introduced after a train derailed in eastern Palestine while he was in hospital. A member of the Committee on Agriculture, the senator also participates in the drafting of the Farm Bill voted by Congress every five years.
Fetterman, 53, sought hospital treatment for “severe” depression after being hospitalized for dizziness after the State of the Union and suffering a stroke during the election campaign in May.
Donald Trump Jr. launched an attack on the Democrat at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week, calling him a “vegetable” and saying he would be best employed as a “bag guy” in a grocery store than as a US senator.
Meanwhile, on February 27, Fetterman’s wife Gisele posted on social media that she had taken their three children on an impromptu trip to Niagara Falls as she learned how to ‘navigate’ in the new media presence outside their home in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
“I don’t really know how to navigate this journey, but I’m slowly discovering it. A week ago today when the news broke the kids were out of school and media trucks circled our house,’ she tweeted.
“I did the first thing I could think of…pack them in the car and drive,” she wrote after learning her husband could be in hospital for weeks while doctors worked on the case. treatment and medication.
During his recovery, Fetterman struggled with sensory processing issues and relies on simultaneous translation computer software in media interviews and to carry out his Senate duties.
A senior aide told NBC it’s hard to tell the difference between the senator’s recovery from a stroke and depression, with the staffer saying it’s sometimes unclear if he “can’t hear you or if he’s somehow paralyzed by his depression and social anxiety.”
Democrats control the upper house 51-49.
Fetterman isn’t the only senator on personal leave. Sense. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, is being treated for shingles, Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, is home after his mother’s death, and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is recovering from COVID. They all missed upper house votes last week, leaving the Senate in a 48-48 balance. Vice President Kamala Harris had to cast several deciding votes.
