Fetterman’s Top Staff Resign Over his Support of Israel

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is losing staffers over his support of Israel. All three of Fetterman’s top communications staffers left his office last month. 

Deputy communications director Nick Gavio left at the end of March. He is going to take a role with the Working Families Party. Fetterman’s communications director, Joe Calvello, left earlier in March to work for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Emma Mustion was a press and digital aide who also left the senator’s office. She went to work with Senator Bob Casey’s (D-PA) reelection campaign. 

Gavio and Calvello are veterans of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and of Fetterman’s Senate campaign. It must have been a shock for them to realize that Fetterman is so strong and vocal in his support of Israel. The communication team is in charge of delivering his messages so it must have been difficult for the pro-Hamas members of the Democrat Party to acknowledge Israel and its right to protect itself. Good riddance to them on Capitol Hill. 

Calvello is from Chicago. He said he is excited to go to work with a “true progressive”, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Sure, because Johnson has such a terrific record in the Windy City, right? The progressive policies in Chicago are working out just great, especially the sanctuary city policies. 

Gavio put a happy spin on his decision. 

Gavio said he is grateful for his time with Fetterman and is “extremely proud and excited” to become Mid-Atlantic communications director for the Working Families Party, overseeing the party’s expansion into statewide and regional contests.

Fetterman is bleeding staff because he supports Israel’s war against Hamas and his criticism of activists who demand a ceasefire. His office didn’t release a statement but the chief of staff said replacements have been hired. 

I guess they don’t like his posts on X. They are excellent. 

Fetterman has this post pinned at the top of his account. It is the walls in his office covered in posters of hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023.

In my front office I have displayed the posters of the innocent Israelis kidnapped by Hamas.

They will stay up until every single person is safely returned home. pic.twitter.com/qxCmvC97uY

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) November 7, 2023

Here are a couple of his most recent posts about the Israel-Hamas war:

Save the harsh rhetoric for Hamas who planned, initiated, deployed, and maintained this ongoing calamity in Gaza.

If you seek any real peace, order Hamas to surrender and release all of the hostages. pic.twitter.com/3qVwQ1OU4I

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 28, 2024

No conditions.

Zero hypocrisy.

Stand with Israel. pic.twitter.com/eC8sl9d1aV

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 30, 2024

Just a glance at his X page leaves no doubt that he is a Democrat. He voices all the usual opinions of the left. He has turned out to be a regular kind of Democrat, though, not the far-left progressive he portrayed during his campaign for the Senate. This has come as a shock to the progressives in the party, especially after Fetterman declared himself to be a moderate Democrat. Moderate is a very bad word in Washington these days, especially for Democrats. The horror!

It’s been eye-opening to see all the antisemites on the left come out into the open and self-righteously demand Israel not defend itself or destroy Hamas to survive. The ignorance is breathtaking. When banners are held up during protests that proclaim “Queers for Palestine”, you know they have no idea who they are supporting. 

Senator Fetterman is turning out to be a sane politician on a couple of issues – support of Israel and border security.

Fetterman has been charting a different path for himself as of late, recently telling Fox News he does not identify as a “progressive” and slamming Vice President Kamala Harris for her statement that it would be a “huge mistake” for Israel to carry out an offensive without U.S. approval.

“Hard disagree,” Fetterman wrote in response on X. “Israel has the right to prosecute Hamas to surrender or to be eliminated. Hamas owns every innocent death for their cowardice hiding behind Palestinian lives.”

He doesn’t understand why it is controversial to support border security. 

“I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well,” he said during the interview.

It won’t be surprising if Fetterman has to replace other staff, given a letter he received from former staffers just days after the October 7 massacres by Hamas.

“Watching the United States military apparatus beat the drum for war — promising the Israeli government unconditional weapons support, a blank check for more destruction that will lead to the killing of more innocent Israelis and Palestinians including children — has been heart wrenching,” the staffers, who called themselves “Fetterman Alumni for Peace,” wrote in the letter. “Watching you lead that charge has felt like a gutting betrayal.”

Hamas is the enemy and must be destroyed. Kudos to Fetterman for realizing that and speaking out when so many in his party are clueless.