John Fetterman says Hillary Clinton belongs behind bars, and he told Jake Tapper exactly why. The Pennsylvania senator appeared on CNN this week for what was supposed to be a routine interview about the budget fight in Washington. It turned into something else entirely when Tapper asked him about Republican calls to reopen investigations into the Clintons.
Most Democrats would have brushed the question aside. Fetterman didn’t. “If it’s not Benghazi, it’s Uranium One,” Fetterman said. “If it’s not those, it’s the emails on her bathroom server.”
Tapper, clearly caught off guard, tried to cut in and steer the conversation back to the budget. Fetterman wasn’t having it. “Cut the crap, Jake,” he said. “We all know what happened.”
The exchange lasted less than a minute, but it was all anyone in Washington could talk about by the afternoon. The clip spread across social media, with conservatives sharing it as proof that even Democrats are done defending the Clintons.
Fetterman has been breaking with his party for a while now. He’s taken tough positions on the border, backed Israel without hesitation, and openly criticized fellow Democrats for dodging hard questions. But calling for a former secretary of state and presidential nominee to be locked up is a big step beyond anything he’s said before.
People close to the senator say he’s been frustrated for a long time by what he sees as a double standard in the party. “He thinks Democrats spent years saying nobody is above the law,” one person familiar with his thinking said. “And then they made exceptions for their own people. He’s tired of it.”
Back at CNN, Tapper did his best to push back during the rest of the interview, pointing out that multiple investigations over the years did not result in charges against Clinton. Fetterman just shook his head.
“That’s kind of the point,” he said.
Reaction from his own party was swift. Several Democratic senators called his comments irresponsible, and a Clinton spokesperson described them as “recycled conspiracy theories from a man who should know better.” Progressive groups renewed calls for him to face a primary challenge.
Republicans, on the other hand, were thrilled. A number of GOP lawmakers praised Fetterman for “telling the truth,” and one joked that he should switch parties before the end of the week.
Back home in Pennsylvania, voters are split. Some say they feel let down by a senator they thought would fight for progressive causes. Others say he’s one of the only politicians in Washington who doesn’t sound like he’s reading from a script.
“He says what a lot of people are thinking,” said a voter in Scranton. “You might not like it, but at least it’s honest.” Fetterman shows no sign of walking anything back. And if this week is any sign, even Dems are getting tired of covering for the Clintons.