CNN analyst Van Jones on Monday defended Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman against criticism within the Democratic Party amid reports that some Republicans are quietly trying to persuade Sen. John Fetterman to switch parties or become an independent before the midterm elections.
“Look, I think he’s a moderate Democrat, and that shouldn’t be illegal in this party,” Jones said on CNN’s “Caitlin Collins’ Sources,” arguing that the party also includes moderates, progressives and Democrats who “do not fit the mold.”
“It just goes to show you how crazy things have become, that now anyone who wants to support Israel and doesn’t want open borders has to be a Republican,” he continued, adding that the idea was “completely insane.”
Jones’ comments came after Politico reported on Monday that Senate Republicans and even President Trump himself had been lobbying for Fetterman to defect, which would provide a “windfall” in Pennsylvania if he did. However, senators rejected the idea.
“I’m not going to change,” he told the media in an interview on Friday. “I’m a Democrat and I’m going to stay a Democrat.”
The Pennsylvania senator acknowledged that he faced popularity challenges among Democrats as he sometimes went against them on key votes, including supporting the nomination of former Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to succeed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary.
He has become an outspoken supporter of a joint U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, repeatedly siding with Republicans to help defeat measures aimed at limiting Trump’s war powers. He also criticized fellow Democrats for opposing the construction of a new ballroom at the White House after a gunman allegedly attempted to assassinate the president at a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.
The latest actions drew harsh criticism from the Democratic Party of Monroe County, Fetterman’s home state, which called him a “traitor” to the party and his campaign supporters.
“Traitors to the Democratic Party. Traitors to Pennsylvanians. Traitors to those who worked tirelessly to elect him and stand with him,” the county chapter of the Democratic Party wrote in a Sunday post on social platform
Jones dismissed the criticism as an attempt to “cast a shadow” over people who mostly vote Democratic despite occasional disagreements.
The political analyst opined, “I don’t think John Fetterman would be a better fit for the Republican Party than I am,” casting the senator as a “great American” and a “media maverick.”
“We need people like this in our party, we need more people who are not afraid to speak their mind,” he added. “I don’t understand. He’s not going to be a Republican, he should be able to be a Democrat without, you know, a bunch of crap being thrown at him.”
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