Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) will not attend the Democratic National Convention this week, though he denied his decision was over his disagreements with his party’s peers over his stance on Israel.
The Pennsylvania senator insisted the announcement has nothing to do with his pro-Israel stance, which has alienated him from some of his Democratic colleagues.
“I’ve got three young kids, and they’re out of school,” Fetterman explained during an interview with the Free Press that was released Sunday. “That’s four days I can spend with my children.”
The DNC begins Monday and runs through Aug. 22. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to formally become her party’s presidential nominee on Thursday.
A pro-Israel advocate, Fetterman has been at odds with many of his Democratic colleagues over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Earlier this year, he trolled pro-ceasefire activists as he waved an Israeli flag, and he expressed “deep disappointment” over President Joe Biden’s decision to withhold artillery shells and bombs if Israel invaded Rafah.
Fetterman admitted during his latest remarks to the Free Press that he was “frustrated” with his Democratic colleagues over their stance on the Middle Eastern conflict.
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“I’ve been frustrated by some of my members and how they’ve chosen to handle that situation,” Fetterman noted as he commented on the Israel-Gaza conflict. “I don’t agree with a lot of their views, but whatever kinds of political choices or any kind of political costs that I’ve incurred throughout all that, I don’t care.”
He added, “I haven’t once even regretted any of that.”
