The staff exodus from Sen. John Fetterman's office, D-Pa., continued Thursday with the departure of two new staffers.

The departure of the veterans reflects deep disappointment in Fetterman's office, known for its close ties to the Israeli lobby organization AIPAC, over his rejection of the progressive policies of the Democratic Party, his shift to the right in his openness to working with US President Donald Trump and his embrace of positions in support of Israeli extremists.

The “major staffing shift” at the office, a veteran of Fetterman’s team told The Intercept, comes amid a tough hiring environment for Democratic staffers in Washington.

“I don’t find this surprising,” said a former staffer on Fetterman’s last campaign, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his livelihood. “I think the staffers probably feel frustrated that working for Fetterman means you’re working for Israel all the time.”

“This is a guy who came out to talk about being a champion for working people and he didn’t talk about it,” they said. “This is a guy who, since Trump won, has basically become a useful idiot for Republicans. He supports things that are completely antithetical to Democratic political values, which gives them cover to say, ‘Look, he’s bipartisan, we got Fetterman.’”

The latest departures from Fetterman’s office are two of six due to his pro-Israel hardline stance, especially after October 7, 2023. Three of Fetterman’s top communications staffers left his office last spring after he claimed he was not progressive amid criticism from left-leaning colleagues for his aggressive pro-Israel stances.

After that round of resignations, Fetterman hired a new communications director, Carrie Adams. Adams left the office last month. Fetterman posted a job opening for a new communications director on Wednesday.

Al-Quds learned that the latest employees to leave the office are Charlie Hills, communications director in Fetterman's office, whose last day was Friday (2/21/2025), and legislative director Trey Easton, whose departure date is not yet clear.

The former campaign staffer said the staffers’ resignations were a sign that people in Fetterman’s office were tired of him abandoning campaign promises to make the economy easier on the working class; to be an advocate for the poor, immigrants and LGBT people; and to push for criminal justice reform in the Senate, and instead being a staunch defender of Israel and its policies.

Fetterman campaigned as a progressive and positioned himself as the only logical choice for Pennsylvania voters to fight Trump's influence in the 2022 Senate race. But shortly after taking office, Fetterman shed the mantle of progressivism.

Fetterman’s recent positions are a far cry from his 2022 campaign, which included a focus on cutting taxes for workers and celebrating immigrants, but since the October 7, 2023, attack, Fetterman’s office has ignored most of the issues he campaigned on, instead devoting all of its focus to working to support Israel, according to people familiar with his office’s work.

Since Trump took office last month, Fetterman has become a staunch ally of Republicans, especially in their positions that are fully supportive of Israel.