Campaign records indicate Dr. Clifford Chen, the doctor overseeing Fetterman’s recovery, donated $1,300 to his campaign. Dr. Chen has claimed that Fetterman has “no cognitive deficits” and that his “speech was normal.” Despite this claim, Fetterman has clearly struggled in interviews and speeches on the campaign trail and required visual assistance in answering questions.
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Doctor who cleared Fetterman for ‘full duty’ in Senate donated to his campaign, filings show
Cami Mondeaux; October 20, 2022
The doctor who cleared John Fetterman for “full duty in public office” and reported his health is improving since suffering a stroke in mid-May donated more than $1,300 to his campaign, according to public records.
Dr. Clifford Chen, who works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and has been overseeing Fetterman’s recovery, released a medical report on Wednesday that shows the Senate candidate “is recovering well from his stroke and his health has continued to improve.” Fetterman’s stroke has been used as a line of attack from Republicans who argue it threatens his ability to perform the duties of a senator if elected.
“Overall the Lt. Governor is recovering well from his stroke and his health has continued to improve,” the report stated. “He spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits. His speech was normal and he continues to exhibit symptoms of an auditory processing disorder which can come across as hearing difficulty. … His hearing of sound such as music is not affected.”
Chen has donated $1,330 to Fetterman’s campaign over the last year, contributing four times between June 17, 2021, and July 28, 2022, according to records from the Federal Election Commission. The doctor has also made donations to the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Val Demings, who is running for Senate in Florida.
In total, Chen has donated $2,945 to Democratic candidates or committees over the last year.
However, the Fetterman campaign has denied a connection between the medical report and the financial donations.
“This isn’t about politics — it’s an independent, detailed medical report written by John’s primary care doctor based on his latest office visit from last week,” a spokesperson for his campaign told the Washington Examiner. “Anybody baselessly attacking John’s doctor or questioning the standards and integrity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center system is grasping at straws because the issue that Dr. Oz staked his whole campaign on just fell apart. As the Oz campaign literally admitted yesterday morning: John has a clean bill of health.”
Despite once holding a double-digit lead over Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Fetterman’s lead has shrunk to a low single-digit lead in at least three public polls released over the last week. The race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) has become one of the most high-profile Senate races of the midterm cycle because the winner is likely to help determine which party gains control of Congress.
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