Fetterman skirts question about having doctor brief press on medical records
CNN’s Don Lemon asked John Fetterman if he would commit to releasing his medical records and have his doctor answer questions from the press.
Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman would not commit to having his doctor brief the press on his medical records ahead of the upcoming midterm election in a recent interview that saw him frequently stumble over his words.
During "CNN This Morning," co-host Don Lemon announced that his interview with Fetterman would be conducted with the use of closed-captioning technology, a visual aid that the lieutenant governor continues to utilize as he recovers from a stroke he suffered in May.
"Listen—we’ve heard a little from your doctor, but we haven’t heard a lot. You’re asking voters to trust you on your word that your health is good without the full story. So in the interest of full transparency for the voters, do you think it would help if you let your doctors brief the press before election night?" Lemon asked.
Fetterman replied that he feels his campaign has been "pretty transparent," and that his doctors have made clear that he is able and fit to serve in the U.S. Senate.
"For my point, we’ve been also, you know very transparent in terms of showing up at a debate, and very transparent about, you know having events in front of thousands and thousands of Pennsylvanians for months," Fetterman added. "And I was again, there was no, it was no secret that I missed some words, I was going to mush some words together and as we’ve been very clear in the debate, and during this interview I’ve been using captioning as well true."
Lemon said the reason he keeps asking for Fetterman’s doctors to release information about his medical records is because voters may be asking if there is a reason he has not disclosed them thus far.
"No—I, I just believe that we have our doctors weigh in on that, and they believe that I’m fit, fit to serve, and that’s, that’s a point that was compatible, made in June, and compatible here just in October. And you know, I choose, you know my real doctors, composed some of the criticism from like, you know, like a ‘real doctor’ Oz, that’s just trying to weaponize, you know somebody that I just had a, had a stroke," Fetterman said.
Later in the interview, Fetterman was also asked about his flip-flop on fracking. Pressed on the issue and how to "square" his previous comments against fracking with his current position, Fetterman said during last week’s debate, "I do support fracking, and I don’t, I don’t — I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking."
Noting that Fetterman previously said in 2018 that he does not and has never supported fracking, Lemon asked "to be clear" whether the lieutenant governor supports fracking.
Fetterman said that his past "reservations" about fracking were related to "environmental concerns," but said that he now believes fracking is a "no-brainer" because of strong environmental regulations passed in Pennsylvania in recent years. He also said energy independence was "critical."
Lemon again pressed Fetterman on his position, noting that environmental protections on fracking were passed in 2016, but Fetterman said he did not support fracking as recently as 2018.
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Fetterman then claimed that he supported fracking in Braddock, Pennsylvania, in 2017, and reiterated his claim that he now supports fracking because of new environmental protections. He also added that he has never taken money from the industry.
Fetterman also stumbled over a question about what the Biden administration could do to address inflation.
"I think that simply is also, let's talk about the trillions in massive tax, tax cuts to the corporate, tax structure, as well true," he said.
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