Embattled 89-year-old Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has been cognitively slipping for a while, according to a new report by the New York Times. The outlet revealed how Feinstein last year expressed confusion over Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the Senate.
Which is, of course, her constitutional duty when a tiebreaking vote is needed.
Feinstein reportedly asked an aide, “What is she doing here?” This added to the chorus of criticism coming from left-wing circles that her resistance to retirement is holding up President Joe Biden’s efforts to fill the judiciary with liberal jurists.
The incident with Harris was an example of what some critics charge is her inability to remember even the very basics of Senate operations. Calls for her resignation have quieted somewhat with her return to the Capitol, but the Times report may reignite that fire.
The octogenarian announced in February that she would not run for reelection next year but would serve out the remainder of her current term.
Happening Now:
Reports are now coming in that Diane Feinstein has been unwell for a long time and her peers in the Senate have been covering for her. Last year she got very confused and didn’t understand why Kamala Harris was there to vote. Apparently it’s well known around… pic.twitter.com/3Rfz04Rms7
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) May 29, 2023
Almost immediately afterwards she was hospitalized for shingles and missed another two months of Senate duties. Feinstein just returned to Washington from California in early May.
The Times further revealed how Feinstein’s staff is having to serve many functions normally completed by the senator after she returned to work. Even that return was mired in obvious confusion.
She told startled reporters, “I haven’t been gone. You should…I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.” One sympathetic journalist gave her an easy out, asking Feinstein, “You’ve been working from home, is what you’re saying?”
Now clearly disturbed, the senator snapped, “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please, you either know or don’t know.”
Even in her California home, there is a broad sentiment that Feinstein should step aside due to her obviously failing mental acuity. A recent poll illustrated just how much public opinion has turned against the veteran senator.
The survey showed that an overwhelming 67% of Californians believe that her illness rendered her unfit to serve as senator, with only a paltry 20% not in agreement. On the question of resignation, 42% said she should now, while only 27% believe she should stay in Washington for the remainder of her term.
