Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Fetterman sees PR staff exodus over pro-Israel stance

Three of Sen. John Fetterman’s top communications staffers have left his office in the past month.

Fetterman
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) speaks at an Orthodox Union event on Capitol Hill on Jan. 10, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of Orthodox Union Advocacy Center.

The Babylon Bee, a satirical publication, posted a story titled “Democrats issue nationwide Fetterman recall” on Friday. On the same day, multiple news outlets reported that three of the senator’s top communications staffers had decamped in the past month.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has emerged since Oct. 7 as one of Israel’s strongest supporters in the U.S. Congress.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Friday that Nick Gavio, the senator’s deputy communications director, is leaving at the end of March for a job at the Working Families Party, a minor political party.

Earlier in March, Joe Calvello departed as Fetterman’s communications director for a job in the office of Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s mayor; and Emma Mustion left her role as a press and digital aide to work on Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey’s re-election campaign.

“Fetterman has alienated some of his supporters on the left with his defense of Israel’s war against Hamas and his criticism of ceasefire activists,” per the Inquirer.

“We don’t deserve John Fetterman. But thank God we have him,” wrote Abe Greenwald, executive editor of Commentary, on Friday.

On Saturday, Fetterman posted on social media in response to the headline “Accusations of hypocrisy follow U.S. arms transfer to Israel” in The Washington Post.

“No conditions. Zero hypocrisy. Stand with Israel,” Fetterman wrote.

“The only comms staffer John Fetterman needs is John Fetterman,” wrote Matthew Foldi, a political reporter at the Spectator.

United Hatzalah medical teams reported five people in Bnei Brak were treated for minor wounds.
Surviving leaders are reportedly struggling to communicate or meet in person out of fear of more targeted airstrikes.
The assassination of Ali Larijani has shaken the regime’s centers of power and faced Mojtaba Khamenei with a critical test.
The precision strike in Beirut eliminated Hamza Ibrahim Rakhin, the deputy commander of Unit 1800, along with his operations chief and a third operative.
The troops were reportedly killed during a close-range firefight with Hezbollah terrorists.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has barred airspace and bases, drawing U.S. anger and criticism from pro-Israel circles.