CNN analyst Van Jones jumped to defend Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as the senator continues to face criticism over his voting record and calls to switch his party affiliation ahead of his reelection campaign.
“Look, I think he is a moderate Democrat, and that should not be illegal in this party,” Jones said on CNN’s the Source with Kaitlin Collins, Monday.
Jones said it’s “completely insane” that a moderate Democrat faces backlash over issues including Israel and immigration.
“It just shows you how nutty things have gotten that somebody who wants to stick up for Israel and doesn’t want an open border is somehow now, has to be a Republican,” Jones said.
Jones’s statements follow a Politico report revealing Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump were attempting to persuade Fetterman to change his party affiliation, offering the senator financial resources if he did defect.
But Fetterman continues to reject the idea, reiterating on various occasions he is a Democrat.
“I’m not changing,” he told Politico in an interview on Friday. “I’m a Democrat, and I’m staying one.”
Despite this, Fetterman acknowledges he isn’t the “popular guy,” laughing in a recent interview with Fox News when asked about his relationship with his Democratic colleagues.
A lot of the criticism Fetterman faces centers on his voting record, with the Pennsylvania senator repeatedly crossing the aisle to support Republican efforts — including siding with the GOP to block measures aimed at limiting the president’s war powers in Iran.
PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS REBUKE ‘TRAITOR’ FETTERMAN AS PARTY THREATENS PRIMARY CHALLENGE
Jones characterized the criticisms as “shade,” saying Fetterman wouldn’t “fit” in the Republican Party any more than the Democratic commentator would.
“We need people like that in this party, and we need more people who speak their minds,” he said. “I don’t get it. He’s not going to be a Republican, and he should be able to be a Democrat and not get, you know, a bunch of nonsense thrown at him.”
