Washington Post Editorial Calls on Fetterman to Release Medical Records, Debate Oz Next Week

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The Washington Post editorial board published a brutal op-ed on Monday calling for the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, to both release his full medical records and debate his GOP opponent Mehmet Oz next week – before early voting begins in a race that could easily determine the balance of power in the Senate.

The editorial begins by noting that “debates about debates” are “tedious,” but argues that after Fetterman, the sitting lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, suffered a stroke three months ago he has an obligation to the public to both be more transparent about his health struggles and openly debate Oz on the issues.

“After suffering a stroke in May, Mr. Fetterman was off the campaign trail for three months and has campaigned little since then; he held a rally Sunday. Mr. Oz has pressed for five debates, but Mr. Fetterman dodged and ducked before tentatively agreeing last week to one but not until ‘sometime in the middle to end of October,’” explains the editorial.

The board goes on to note that debate would be well after early voting in the race begins on Sept. 19, which the Post claims is not good enough.

“Mr. Fetterman acknowledges his difficulties with auditory processing, which make it hard for him to respond quickly to what he’s hearing,” the editorial continues, adding:

He receives speech therapy — and we wish him a speedy, full recovery — but the lingering, unanswered questions about his health, underscored by his hesitation to debate, are unsettling.

The Post goes on to argue Fetterman has lost credibility in self-reporting about his health and that he must now release his medical records for scrutiny.

“The Fetterman campaign squandered credibility by concealing from the public for two days after his stroke that he had been hospitalized. It waited weeks longer to reveal a more complete picture of his medical history, including that he had been diagnosed in 2017 with cardiomyopathy,” the board argues.

“We have called for full disclosure of health records from candidates for federal office in both parties, including Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and we believe Mr. Fetterman should release his medical records for independent review,” the board concludes.

The editorial ends with a call for Oz and Fetterman to debate “before voters start casting their ballots.”

After questioning whether or not Fetterman is up for the job, the Post hits Oz for “not exactly conducted himself with glory” in the campaign.

Oz’s “offer to fund ‘any additional medical personnel [Mr. Fetterman] might need to have on standby’ during a debate and its mocking comment about Mr. Fetterman not eating enough vegetables were sophomoric and unseemly, made worse by the fact that Mr. Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon. Both candidates have something to prove to voters, and there is no better forum than a debate,” concluded the editorial.

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