Fox News host fact-checks John Fetterman: ‘Senator, we haven’t confirmed that’

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) was back on television Friday attacking a familiar target: controversial Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. This time, he received some fact-checking pushback from a Fox News host.

Despite sharing political parties, Fetterman has been an outspoken critic of Platner, who reportedly exchanged explicit text messages with other women during the early days of his marriage and is accused of volatile behavior by several ex-girlfriends. Platner has denied being physically threatening.

The criticism followed earlier questions about a death’s-head tattoo that Platner had that was similar to a World War II SS symbol, and various comments he posted on Reddit.

“He’s a bona fide dirtbag,” Fetterman told Philadelphia native Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press NOW Friday. “The Nazi tattoo, and the insane things that he said online. … What’s his resumé?”

Fox News opinion hosts have been more than happy to welcome Fetterman in recent months, especially if it’s to criticize a fellow Democrat. He was just on the network last week bashing Platner, telling host Sean Hannity, “I’ll never carry water for that mess.”

But on Friday night, during an appearing on The Ingraham Angle, host Laura Ingraham had to interrupt Fetterman after he accused Platner of sending sexually explicit pictures as recently as last year.

“Senator, we haven’t confirmed that,” Ingraham said. “Fox has not confirmed that he sent these pictures.”

The interruption caused Fetterman to fumble a bit before calling on Platner to “clear it up” by releasing all the messages he allegedly sent.

Amy Gertner, Platner’s wife, admitted the two had worked through issues in their marriage and acknowledged seeking help from both marriage and personal counselors.

“No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage,” Gertner said in a video shared on social media last month. “I want my marriage, and I want to be married to Graham.”

Platner recently took a shot at Fetterman on the campaign trail, criticizing the Pennsylvania senator’s work ethic during a town hall in Portland, Maine, last weekend.

“I got a lot of criticisms about the way this government functions. But in order for us to make it functional, we’re going to have to do stuff,” Platner said, according to The Hill. “And you can’t just go down there and be John Fetterman and … just sort of be an a-hole.”

“Oh, I’m devastated,” Fetterman joked on NBC. “I’ll take everything he says as a badge of honor.”

Platner is taking on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) this fall for a seat Democrats are targeting as part of their effort to take back control of the Senate. Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47, with two independents caucusing with Democrats. So Democrats would need to gain at least four seats in the 2026 midterm elections, and right now political analysts are focusing on six states: Maine, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Alaska, and Iowa.

While Fetterman won’t be supporting Platner and has veered to the right to become a key backer of some of President Donald Trump’s priorities, don’t expect to see him campaigning for Collins.

“I am a Democrat,” Fetterman told Ingraham on Fox News. “We have different views on things.”