Fetterman receives special accommodation for classified briefings

FIRST ON FOX: The office of Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn., said the senator received an accommodation during classified briefings for his auditory processing issues after finding a "solution" with the "intelligence community" and Office of Senate Security.

Reports have noted that Fetterman aides in the Capitol use mobile devices with text-to-speech functions to assist the senator with his auditory processing difficulties.

FOX News Digital asked Fetterman’s office if the junior Pennsylvania senator is taking these mobile devices into classified briefings for voice-to-text closed captioning support.

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Fetterman’s spokesperson Joe Calvello told FOX News Digital that "Senator Fetterman requested assistance from the Office of Senate Security for an appropriate accommodation in a classified setting."

"Senate Security, in coordination with the Intelligence Community, identified a solution that exceeded all requirements for safeguarding classified information," Calvello said.

Fetterman's office did not respond to FOX News Digital's follow-up question for more information on the solution reached between Fetterman, the "intelligence community," and the Office of Senate Security.

The Office of Senate Security did not immediately respond to FOX News Digital's Friday afternoon email request asking if Fetterman's accommodation included the use of an electronic device.

There have already been several classified briefings in Congress this year that have taken place in sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) or other locations that have similar security constraints.

Electronic devices — such as phones and mobile devices — are not allowed in these locations due to security concerns. It is unclear if Fetterman's accommodation includes the use of an electronic device.

According to reports, Fetterman attended a classified briefing on Tuesday on the objects shot down over Alaska, Canada, and Lake Huron.

The junior Pennsylvania senator has been in the headlines lately as questions swirl about his health and fitness for office.

Fetterman’s health has been at the forefront since he suffered a stroke amid the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race, staying in the spotlight even after he took the oath of office.

The Pennsylvania Democrat was hospitalized for several days last week before checking himself in again for clinical depression.

Several physicians weighed in after the senator checked himself into the hospital.

Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital that a "study out of strokes in 2016 reports" that "one out of three strokes over a period of time has depression."

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"But we think it's much greater than that because the stroke symptoms themselves can be masked and you can think it's the stroke when it's actually depression," Siegel said. "The anxiety that you feel after a stroke can turn to depression and you may not be as easily able to diagnose."

Siegel said "it has to do with a lot of issues here," number one being "brain chemistry changes after a stroke," which he says "can interfere with serotonin and other things."

FOX News Digital's Audrey Papas contributed reporting.