Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) faced backlash on Twitter after posting about Juneteenth and systemic racism, given his past controversy of pursuing a black jogger with a shotgun. In 2013, Fetterman, who was the mayor of Braddock at the time, chased an unarmed black man and pointed a gun at him, claiming he had heard gunshots and was detaining the individual until the police arrived. However, it was later discovered that the sound Fetterman had heard was actually fireworks. Fetterman was criticized for his actions and was even questioned about the incident during his primary campaign, but he maintained that he was simply reacting to the gun violence problem in Braddock.
Despite this history, Fetterman has been vocal about his support for the black community and wrote on Twitter, “PA always stands by the unshakeable truth that Black families matter + Black lives matter.” However, many Twitter users were quick to call out Fetterman for his hypocrisy and demanded that he publicly apologize to the black jogger he held at gunpoint.
Notably, conservative figures such as Chuck Ross of the Washington Free Beacon, Spencer Brown of Townhall, and former Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh also criticized Fetterman’s Juneteenth post. Murtaugh even called out Fetterman directly, asking him to “tell that story about that time you chased a black jogger and held a shotgun on him because you thought he was a criminal?”
These criticisms highlight the left’s tendency to ignore or downplay instances of violence committed by their own party and instead focus solely on promoting their political agenda. While Fetterman claims to support black lives and denounces systemic racism, his actions tell a different story.
