Topline
Aside from a smattering of praise from colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee, members of the Democratic party remained mostly silent on Thursday after a New Yorker report called into question the mental fitness of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and alleged internal concern about the 87-year-old’s place in Congress.
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 10: Ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives for a Senate ... [+]
Key Facts
The New Yorker report, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation, suggests some in the party no longer view Feinstein as able to serve effectively (Feinstein’s office did not respond to questions about the report).
The report describes behind-the-scenes incidents like Feinstein reportedly forgetting she’s been briefed on a topic because of poor short-term memory, becoming frustrated at an inability to keep up, and even seeming to blank on a conversation with Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) about stepping down from her position as the most senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.
Clearly addressing the report, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during a Thursday morning meeting with the committee spoke at length about Feinstein—who was present, but did not make remarks—praising her as “one of the most decent people I’ve ever met in any endeavor I’ve ever been involved in.”
Graham seemed to chalk up the discussion over Feinstein’s age and fitness to serve in Congress to her civility toward Republicans, which drew ire among Democrats when she thanked Graham for “fairness” after the Amy Coney Barrett hearings that have come to be perceived as a botched job among the party (Feinstein announced a month later that she’s giving up her position as ranking Democrat on the committee in the next Congress).
“Sen. Feinstein is not the problem, she’s the solution,” said Graham, adding: “Those who find fault with some of the gestures that Sen. Feinstein has made, you’re the problem.”
Graham’s praise was then echoed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-I.L.), the next top Democrat on the committee, who recalled times when Feinstein “absolutely dazzled” him with her commitment to causes, emphasizing that she will continue to be an important part of the committee going forward: “I look forward to working with you.”
Outside of the meeting room, however, public support for Feinstein from fellow Democrats has been sparse, with none making public comments in her defense and zero of the eight other Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee or representatives for Schumer offering any statements when asked by Forbes (a spokesperson for Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said he had not yet been briefed on the situation while the media team for Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said he will not be commenting).
Key Background
It’s difficult to know exactly how to interpret the silence on Capitol Hill, as some former aides for Feinstein told The New Yorker that rumors of her cognitive decline—which hit the mainstream after the senator appeared to forget what question she asked and repeat her words verbatim at a Nov. 17 tech hearing—are being blown out of proportion. They also pointed out that diminished faculties are a systemic issue in Congress, and there have been multiple male senators who were known to be unfit for office by the end of their careers. “She’s still smarter and quicker than at least a third of the other members,” one of Feinstein’s former aides told the magazine. Nonetheless, the article suggests that party leadership have lost faith in Feinstein’s ability to hold powerful positions in the Senate, with Schumer reportedly hiring an aide to watch over Feinstein’s handling of the Barrett confirmation for fear it could go off the rails like the hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, during which Feinstein was criticized for not immediately alerting her party or the FBI of sexual assault allegations from Christine Blasey Ford.
Further Reading
“Dianne Feinstein’s Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats” (The New Yorker)
“Sen. Feinstein Will Step Aside As The Leading Democrat On Senate Judiciary Committee” (Forbes)
