Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), the 51st Democrat vote in Congress, may have permanent brain damage, according to his chief of staff. 

On Friday, Fetterman's chief of staff said campaigning last year after having a stroke in May might have caused him to have permanent brain damage.

Fetterman's doctor at the time of the campaign signed a statement that said he was fine to campaign.

“Overall, Lt. Governor Fetterman is well and shows strong commitment to maintaining good fitness and health practices. He has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office,” Dr. Clifford Chen wrote last year.

Struggling to adjust

Anyone who heard Fetterman speak knew that the doctor was lying, of course.

Fetterman was hospitalized last week after becoming dizzy. He was released on Saturday when tests didn't show any abnormalities.

The New York Times reported that Fetterman was struggling to adjust to his Capitol Hill responsibilities before his hospitalization.

He is apparently frustrated that he may have set his progress back by campaigning instead of resting after the stroke

“[Fetterman] has had to come to terms with the fact that he may have set himself back permanently by not taking the recommended amount of rest during the campaign. And he continues to push himself in ways that people close to him worry are detrimental,” the report said.

“What you’re supposed to do to recover from this is do as little as possible,” Fetterman’s Chief of Staff, Adam Jentleson, told the New York Times. Instead, Fetterman “was forced to do as much as possible — he had to get back to the campaign trail. It’s hard to claw that back.”

Unfit to serve

The Times is basically admitting that Fetterman is unfit to serve as a senator, which Republicans have been saying since the campaign.

He was not well-served during a vulnerable time by his wife, Gisele, and other handlers who basically propped him up, possibly with the help of drugs, and pushed him into the Senate despite the fact that he couldn't really put a sentence together without the help of a teleprompter.

Now he's realizing what happened, and is understandably not happy about it.

With a Democrat governor in Pennsylvania, there probably won't be much fallout if Fetterman eventually decides to resign from his seat. That might be a good idea for him, whether his damage is permanent or not.