JUST IN: Dianne Feinstein Apparently Doesn’t Remember Her Recent Months-Long Absence From DC

In a puzzling encounter with a reporter today, Senator Dianne Feinstein seemed to exhibit memory lapses regarding her recent months-long absence from Washington, D.C. Despite widespread knowledge of her extended leave. Feinstein appeared oblivious to the fact, raising questions about her ability to effectively serve the people of California.

When confronted about her absence by Jim Newell, a reporter from Slack, Feinstein initially brushed off concerns by stating, “Oh, I’m feeling fine. I have a problem with the leg.” However, when pressed further by a fellow reporter, who inquired about her colleagues’ reaction upon her return, the conversation took a bizarre turn.

Feinstein outright denied having been away, stating, “No, I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.” Her response left those present perplexed, as her absence from the Capitol had been well-documented and widely discussed within political circles.

When pressed to clarify whether she had been working remotely from home, Feinstein became defensive and adopted an aggressive tone. She retorted, “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please. You either know or don’t know.”

Feinstein’s brazen denial of her absence raises concerns about her mental acuity and raises questions about her fitness to carry out her duties as a United States Senator. Her inability to acknowledge a recent months-long absence from Washington, D.C., despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, is alarming and calls into question her grasp of reality.

Newell wrote:

After deflecting one final question about those, like Rep. Ro Khanna, who’ve called on her to resign, she was wheeled away.

It is true that Feinstein has been in Washington and voting for the past week, while coming to committee hearings on a need-to-be-there basis. Last Thursday, for example, she attended a Judiciary Committee hearing to approve several partisan nominees who had been held back by her absence. That—as well as close nomination votes on the full Senate floor—is all that Democrats need from her at the moment.

But it is not true that she had been “here,” in a physical sense, for the two-and-a-half-month stretch between February and last week. It was odd for that to skip her mind. The senator’s absence, and her insistence on not resigning, has been one of the biggest political stories of the year, given her critical role not just on the Judiciary Committee but as a pivotal Democratic vote in the full body.

Last week the longtime U.S. Senator returned for the first time since February after recovering from shingles. Feinstein, who is the oldest member to ever serve in the Senate at 89, announced that she plans to retire at the end of 2024.

Video footage showed an ailing Senator Feinstein being helped out of a car and into a wheelchair by a handful of staff members. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was on-hand to welcome Feinstein back to the chamber for a late afternoon vote after an extended medical absence.

WATCH:

While Feinstein returned on Wednesday, she did miss two previous votes earlier in the day. In total, the longtime California Democrat missed 91 floor votes while recovering from shingles, according to a tally from NBC News.

“Even though I’ve made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I’m still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus,” Feinstein said. “My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. I’m hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover,” Feinstein said in a statement, adding that doctors have instructed her to keep a “lighter schedule.”

What is the first thought that comes to mind when you see this photo of Dianne Feinstein? pic.twitter.com/zJSS1kLGF1

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 10, 2023

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) told reporters that Feinstein is expected to attend the committee’s business meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Some Democrats have expressed frustration with Feinstein’s absence, which has slowed caucus efforts to confirm Biden’s judicial nominees. Without Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee went from an 11-10 Democrat majority to a 10-10 deadlock.

“There has been no slowdown,” Feinstein wrote in a statement last week. “I’m confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote.”