(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. John Fetterman, the embattled Pennsylvania Democrat, raised concerns after struggling to articulate his thoughts coherently during a Tuesday Senate Banking Committee hearing on the collapse of Valley Bank.
Fetterman stumbled over his own words, erroneously claiming that the witnesses’ partners “went to Hawaiss (sic) after there was a crash for your bank.” According to the transcript compiled by Fox News Digital, he expressed disbelief, stating, “So, I went up on the Internet, and it’s like, it did happen. It did happen. It did happen,” he sputtered while referencing a New York Post article titled “Ex-Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker jets to Hawaii after collapse.”
The Post‘s article reported that Becker had retreated to his $3.1 million Maui estate shortly after resigning as CEO of SVB. The departure came amid the second-largest bank collapse in history.
Fetterman, however, struggled to accurately describe the details from the Post article, raising concerns about the health of the already-fragile lawmaker.
After posing incoherent questions to the witness, Fetterman made a claim that the U.S. government bailed “him” out in reference to the bank, alluding to an alleged “running joke” within the banking community. When the witness denied knowledge of the joke, Fetterman responded, “Really? Because every bank you seemingly that crashed, it’s like, ‘We can bail him out. This one crashed, we’ll bail them out.'”
While Fetterman grappled with his speech, he continued, “So far, everything’s been true. So, doesn’t it feel that now if a bank really believed that they wouldn’t be bailed out, now after bailing them out, these couple of bailouts, they are going to.”
Fetterman’s struggle to speak clearly has led many on Twitter to question the senator’s health. OutKick founder Clay Travis tweeted, “John Fetterman is incapable of speech or coherent thought. Good job, Pennsylvania.”
John Fetterman is incapable of speech or coherent thought. Good job, Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/aLQyaHBAsg
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 16, 2023
Podcast host Stephen L. Miller criticized Washington Post reporter Jeff Stein for fixing Fetterman’s transcribed mumbling in a tweet, stating, “This isn’t Senator Fetterman’s actual quote. This isn’t journalism,” in response to Stein’s alterations.
This isn't Senator Fetterman's actual quote. This isn't journalism. https://t.co/L7NCmio08l
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 16, 2023
Commentator Tim Young sarcastically cracked on Fetterman’s speech in a tweet, saying, “John Fetterman sounds perfectly healthy, you guys…”
Fetterman has struggled to communicate effectively on several occasions since suffering a stroke while on the campaign trail in 2022. Last month, he made headlines after experiencing difficulties while reading his opening statement during a hearing for the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Food. Fetterman was recently released from a hospital stint for alleged clinical depression.
