Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., suffered a near-fatal stroke on the campaign trail but quickly returned to public instead of getting the rest doctors said he needed. Those close to the senator have voiced concerns about the campaign’s possible toll on his long-term recovery and have openly wondered if his brain damage is permanent.

Fetterman recently went back to the hospital for post-stroke depression related to his recovery. According to one report, Fetterman’s doctors have advised him to “limit his exposure to cable television, the internet and social media — a major information detox for someone whose obsession, and occupation, is politics.”

The situation has gotten “much weirder” after reports that his wife is only seeing him once a week — and the media has put an odd twist on his condition, critics said.

The New York Times has assured everyone that Fetterman’s hospitalization is completely normal for a senator. It’s no big deal!

The one food you should NEVER put on your dinner plate [Sponsored]

“Meetings with constituents have continued as usual,” the paper claimed. “It’s not unusual for lawmakers to be told by members of their staff, sometimes after the fact, what bills they are co-sponsoring. With the exception of calls to cabinet officials or meetings with the chief executives of companies that are important to their states, there are few meetings that cannot be handled by senior staff.”

Ross Baker, a former aide to Nevada’s late Sen. Harry Reid, also downplayed Fetterman’s absence. “A Senate office, particularly under an experienced chief of staff, would run pretty much in a normal way,” the Reid aide said.

The Times described the Senate as “a staff-run institution even in the best of times.”

Fetterman’s office, with its powerful staffers, might be “normal” from a statistical perspective.

But, following this norm might be worse than being an outlier.

Fetterman’s own chief of staff told the paper, “We were honest with people about what’s going on, we put it out there.”

How many other senators are being less honest?

“If it’s true that this is ‘not unusual,’ this is an outrage of the highest order and must be blown up to every level of reportage until this insane practice stops,” one Twitter user said.

Some observers appeared unsurprised at unelected staffers’ role in controlling the political process.

One Twitter user remarked, “So The @NYTimes wrote a full spread actually suggesting that it is normal for a senator to co-sponsor legislation that he’s not even aware of.” Another person said, “You just figured that out Einstein?”

Sponsored: Deadliest Drug Ever (are you taking it?)

Others approached the situation with a sense of humor. One person said, “So ‘quiet quitting’ started in the US Senate?”

Another person described a senator’s job as deliberation and voting. However, Fetterman isn’t doing that, either. In fact, he’ll miss the Senate’s hearing on Norfolk Southern Railway, even after co-sponsoring a bill over train derailments.

“They debate in order to vote,” one person said. “When will Fetterman be able [sic] debate?”

Take a look —

Now that Fetterman's in the hospital we learn that, in reality, Senators don't really do all that much. https://t.co/04WEKcZzuK pic.twitter.com/9WYnZSQTEB

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) March 9, 2023

Sponsored: Can marijuana help with pain?

Post-stroke depression reportedly affects one in three victims of stroke. The condition can become serious, but it remains treatable.

Fetterman’s staffers have maintained their optimism, and they want this hospital visit to be Fetterman’s last. “The main thing is for him to come out and not have to go back,” Fetterman’s chief of staff told the Times.

READ MORE: Fetterman’s brain damage may be permanent, warns chief of staff

The Horn editorial team