On Wednesday, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) exhibited a severe memory lapse about her long absence from Washington, D.C., despite widespread knowledge of her extended leave. Feinstein appeared oblivious to what was going on around her, creating concerns about her ability to serve.
Her response left the reporter confused, due to the fact that her absence from the Capitol has been well-documented and widely discussed within political circles. On Thursday, audio was released of the exchange, showcasing Feinstein’s clear lack of acuity.
REPORTER: “How have they felt about you returning?”
FEINSTEIN: “No, I haven’t been gone. You should follow the— I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.”
REPORTER: “Working from home is what you’re saying?”
FEINSTEIN: “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting.”
LISTEN:
"How have they felt about you returning?"
FEINSTEIN: "No, I haven't been gone. You should follow the— I haven't been gone. I've been working."
"Working from home is what you're saying?"
FEINSTEIN: "No, I've been here. I've been voting." pic.twitter.com/kGqH3wjZkA
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 18, 2023
Slate’s Jim 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 the ailing Senator 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 missed 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
Many 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.”