In the political laws of physics, for every bad political action, there is an equal and opposite bad political reaction. Just last week, I said that the Pennsylvania Republicans demanding “proof of life” from John Fetterman was an unforced error. Welcome to the flip side of that error – the Fetterman team actually RELEASING PHOTOS of a mental health inpatient.

For the record, John Fetterman as a politician pre-stroke was pretty awful, and his record was that of a progressive far-left activist with an activist for a spouse. Post-stroke John Fetterman has become nothing more than a shell of his former self in every way, with no one around him giving a solid damn as to his actual physical or mental well-being. Remember that Fetterman himself pitched that “all is well, nothing to see here” during the campaign – because that is likely what he was told, and what he wanted to believe.

But he wasn’t all better in January. Not even close. And then he was left alone in Washington D.C. while his family stayed in Pennsylvania. The public was only told after the fact that Fetterman has struggled with depression for most of his life. Going for inpatient psychiatric care is a signal that things are very, very wrong and there is a need for immediate intervention before something bad happens. For that reason, because we DO need to respect and value the sanctity of mental health treatment, having some Pennsylvania Republicans insist on photos, videos, and updates was a tacky and embarrassing move.

And yet here we are, with Team Fetterman making their own entry in the Tacky and Embarrassing Olympics.

Productive morning with Senator Fetterman at Walter Reed discussing the rail safety legislation, Farm Bill and other Senate business. John is well on his way to recovery and wanted me to say how grateful he is for all the well wishes. He’s laser focused on PA & will be back soon. pic.twitter.com/143uAhoQRx

— Adam Jentleson (@AJentleson) March 6, 2023

First off, who at Walter Reed signed off on letting anyone take pictures of a patient in there? While this might not be a HIPAA violation because it doesn’t show any of his treatment, it’s incredibly crass. Second, there is no way that these pictures are released without Gisele Fetterman signing off on them. Just add that to her list of “Great Moments in Spousal Support,” which now includes gems like this:

Gisele Fetterman’s quote at the end of this article is a bit too honest. https://t.co/YPJARpKEvt pic.twitter.com/tJDFOFYxWc

— Kate Hyde (@KateHydeNY) March 3, 2023

Note the date on the interview is December of 2021 – after the stroke and after the election. What the actual hell. And remember how Gisele asked for privacy? She apparently has the South Park Meghan Markle definition of “privacy.”

Third, John Fetterman does not look like he used to. Granted, given the health and heart issues that caused the stroke in the first place, the weight loss could be part of getting him to better overall health. Or it could be a sign of his depression. We don’t know. But it’s clear that he is no longer the person he once was.

Also, I just need to point out that Adam Jentleson, John Fetterman’s chief of staff, is a craven political animal of the worst kind. His résumé shows his long loyalty to the Democrat party machine, from his time as John Edwards’s speechwriter to Harry Reid’s deputy chief of staff. He is an experienced Washington insider, which is why he was brought on to “manage” Fetterman’s transition in November 2022, and stayed on as chief of staff. Jentleson had no connection to Fetterman before this. Clearly, he was brought in to Team Fetterman to run the show for a new and obviously disabled senator – something else that Gisele must have signed off on. But who brought Jentleson into the picture in the first place? Did he go knocking at Fetterman’s door? Was he put there by the Democrat leadership? Did Gisele hire him directly? An experienced political shark like Jentleson just doesn’t show up out of nowhere, conveniently managing the office and staff of a senator who needs multiple unique accommodations, and now inpatient care.

Mental health care should be respected and left out of the political and public realm. That’s why it was gross when some Pennsylvania Republicans asked for “proof of life,” and it is equally crass and exploitative that Adam Jentleson and Team Fetterman have released pictures while John Fetterman is still receiving inpatient care. The rules apply to both sides here. If mental health treatment is something sacred, then it can’t be used as a political football to spike on the other team at ANY time. One can dislike John Fetterman the politician, while recognizing that John Fetterman the patient is being used, exploited, and stripped of whatever dignity he had left.

And nobody cares enough to stop this.

Featured image: Senator John Fetterman, official Senate portrait, cropped, public domain