GOP rallies around embattled Democratic Sen. John Fetterman

• A string of news articles, including from Axios, have revealed concerns from people close to the senator about whether the Pennsylvania Democrat's long-acknowledged mental health issues are affecting his work.

1️⃣ Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) was first to publicly push back, calling to "stop these vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health."

• "He is authentic, decent, principled, and a fighter. These disgraceful smears against him are not the John that I know and respect," McCormick wrote in an X post on Friday.

2️⃣ Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chair of the Senate GOP conference, called Fetterman a "decent and genuine guy."

• "The radical left is smearing him with dishonest, vicious attacks because he's pro-Israel and they only want reliable anti-Israel politicians," Cotton said.

3️⃣ Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) posted: "The media ought to lay off Senator Fetterman."

Between the lines: Multiple Senate GOP sources argued that Fetterman was being attacked by people in his own party because of his staunch pro-Israel stance, and a handful of votes with Republicans.

• Coverage of politicians' health is a touchy subject right now, especially with former President Biden making his first press tour since leaving office.
• Some sources said the Fetterman health concerns should have been litigated in 2022 after his stroke, and that unlike Biden, senators interact with Fetterman themselves.

The bottom line: One source simply said they weren't surprised by the defense because Republicans are used to what they see as unfair negative coverage.