PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A top strategist in Mehmet Oz’s US Senate campaign says Gov. John Fetterman lied about his health.
For days, Oz’s campaign has been adding to its assertion that Fetterman’s health is not what it should be. On Friday, a senior strategist came forward and said Fetterman was lying about his health.
“The thing is, he continues to lie about his health,” says Barney Keller, a senior strategist for the Oz campaign. “Let’s call a spade a spade. It’s clear he hasn’t fully recovered from the concussion. We’ve seen the videos.”
Keller points to occasional verbal blunders by Fetterman, minimal campaign appearances and no question-and-answer sessions with supporters or the media.
“If John Fetterman can’t stand before the voters of Pennsylvania for 10 minutes, ask questions, then how can he stand up for them in the United States Senate? And I think that’s a perfectly fair criticism to say, please don’t lie about how you’re sick,” says Keller.
In an interview with KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano on August 11, Fetterman admitted that he still has some health issues, particularly with hearing and articulating words.
“The only issue that lingers from the stroke is just having an auditory glitch every now and then. I’ll miss a word, or I might put two words together sometimes in a conversation. But that’s really the only problem and it’s just getting better and better,” Fetterman said earlier this month.
Fetterman’s campaign reacted angrily to the claim that Fetterman has misled anyone about his health, telling KDKA-TV, “That’s exactly what people hate about politics. We’re trying to have an honest conversation about health.. .while Oz and his team are making harsh remarks and mocking individuals for their health challenges … John has been clear about his health,” said Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s director of communications.
Keller disagreed, saying, “I think it’s very clear that John Fetterman has not been clear about his health issues to the voters.”
“It’s a matter of honesty and transparency, and it’s very clear that Fetterman’s campaign has been less than honest and transparent about his health,” Keller added.
But Fetterman’s campaign says Fetterman has been candid about his health issues in both an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and a television interview with KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano. The campaign also cites an early June letter from his doctor in which his doctor says, “If he does what I told him, … he should be able to campaign and serve in the U.S. Senate no problem.”
That was almost two months ago, how about an update?
Delano: “I want to ask you if you are ready for your doctors to really explain to the public as a whole and send a letter really explaining what your health status is?”
Fetterman: “Absolutely.”
No update yet from Fetterman on his health.
As for Oz, after all the social media exchange about Oz’s tray and Fetterman’s vegetable tray, an Oz campaign aide told Insider, “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a serious stroke. .”
“An extremely insensitive remark about John’s health,” said a spokesman for Fetterman. “It was an example of how smart Oz and his team are.”
Delano: “It came across as a very mean comment about Fetterman’s health. Was that the intent?”
Keller: “I don’t see that as a derogatory comment to encourage someone to eat their vegetables.”
Now, a recent Emerson poll found that 66 percent of Pennsylvanians say Fetterman’s impeachment will have no impact on their vote.
Jon Delano
