Sen. John Fetterman switched sides with fellow Democrats Wednesday, dismissing hysterics from his fellow Dems in the media about a “constitutional crisis” as President Donald Trump and his administration continue their radical federal reform efforts.
“There isn’t a constitutional crisis, and all of these things — it’s just a lot of noise,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told HuffPost. “That’s why I’m only gonna swing on the strikes.”
Fetterman pointed to legal battles during the previous administration.
“When it was [President] Joe Biden, then you [had] a conservative judge jam it up on him, and now we have liberal judges that are going to stop these things. That’s how the process works.”
The comments contrast sharply with hysterical warnings from other Democrats like Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who told CNN that federal reforms efforts meant the end of democracy.
“This isn’t hyperbole to say that we are staring the death of democracy in the eyes, right now,” Murphy said. “The centerpiece of our democracy is that we observe court rulings.”
Trump’s administration faces 57 lawsuits and 12 injunctions in its first three weeks, as courts review Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk’s efforts to restructure federal agencies.
While Fetterman called Musk’s moves to close agencies and furlough workers without congressional approval “provocative” and “certainly a concern,” he expressed support for working with the Trump administration.
“I’m still wishing him the best. I’m effectively rooting for him and all the nominees because they’re working for America,” said Fetterman, who recently met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and has backed some of his cabinet nominees.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed activist judges for trying to halt the Trump-backed reforms.
“The real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority,” Leavitt said.
Not every Republican is on Team Trump, though. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-A.K., backed the courts halting of Trump’s moves over White House complaints.
“If you don’t like the ruling, you can appeal the ruling, and you can follow that through. But we are a nation of laws, and it is not necessarily for you or I to be the final arbiter here,” she said.
The administration promised to comply with court orders while dutifully seeking appeals.
“We will comply with the law in the courts, but we will also continue to seek every legal remedy to ultimately overturn these radical injunctions,” Leavitt said.