{"id":1439650,"date":"2022-04-15T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1439650"},"modified":"2022-04-15T08:00:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T12:00:14","slug":"democrats-just-now-raising-concerns-about-diane-feinsteins-mental-ability-to-serve-in-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-just-now-raising-concerns-about-diane-feinsteins-mental-ability-to-serve-in-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Just Now Raising Concerns About Diane Feinstein\u2019s Mental Ability to Serve in Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-just-now-raising-concerns-about-diane-feinsteins-mental-ability-to-serve-in-senate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1439650&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Fellow lawmakers and colleges have recently expressed concerns that 88-year-old Senator for California Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve, with people noting she is beginning to forget people and previous conversations.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>According to the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">San Francisco Chronicle<\/a><\/em>, one California congress member told the outlet that they had recently engaged in a conversation with Feinstein over what she had initially assumed would be about policy.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\"><\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Instead, the lawmaker said they had to reintroduce themselves several times over the hours long conversation, and that the conversation centered around small talk, rather than diving deep into policy discussions.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Feinstein reportedly asked the lawmaker what matters most to voters in their district, with no remembrance that the conversation had already happened.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>The lawmaker talked to the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">Chronicle<\/a><\/em> on conditions of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Following their conversation with Feinstein, the lawmaker reportedly began raising concerns with fellow colleagues as to whether an intervention would be needed to persuade the Democrat to retire. These conversations reportedly took place several weeks before the death of Feinstein\u2019s husband in February.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Feinstein\u2019s term currently runs through the end of 2024.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;I have worked with her for a long time and long enough to know what she was like just a few years ago: always in command, always in charge, on top of the details, basically couldn\u2019t resist a conversation where she was driving some bill or some idea. All of that is gone,&#8221; the lawmaker said.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>\u201cShe was an intellectual and political force not that long ago, and that\u2019s why my encounter with her was so jarring. Because there was just no trace of that,&#8221; they added.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>The <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">Chronicle<\/a><\/em> said that four US Senators, three of which are Democrats, as well as three former Feinstein staffers and the California Democratic member of Congress told the outlet recently that Feinstein\u2019s memory is rapidly deteriorating.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;They said it appears she can no longer fulfill her job duties without her staff doing much of the work required to represent the nearly 40 million people of California,&#8221; the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">Chronicle<\/a><\/em> reported.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>They said that these lapses in memory though do not appear to be consistent, and that there are some days where is is nearly as sharp as she used to be, like during the recent confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;But some close to her said that on her most difficult days, she does not seem to fully recognize even longtime colleagues,&#8221; the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">Chronicle<\/a><\/em> added.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s bad, and it\u2019s getting worse,&#8221; said one Democratic senator. The lawmaker added that within the Senate, Feinstein has difficulty keeping up with conversations and discussions.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;There\u2019s a joke on the Hill, we\u2019ve got a great junior senator in Alex Padilla and an experienced staff in Feinstein\u2019s office,&#8221; said a staffer for a California Democrat.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Those that expressed concern said that doing so was painful because they respected the Senator and her career.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>In a statement provided to the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">Chronicle<\/a><\/em> on March 28, Feinstein said she\u2019s still performing her job well.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;The last year has been extremely painful and distracting for me, flying back and forth to visit my dying husband who passed just a few weeks ago,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But there\u2019s no question I\u2019m still serving and delivering for the people of California, and I\u2019ll put my record up against anyone\u2019s.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Others, who went on the record, defended Feinstein, noting her performance during recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and that she still oversees an office that is still a strong player on legislation and constituent services.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement to the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php\">Chronicle<\/a><\/em> that said she had not noticed a decline in Feinstein\u2019s memory, and noted for example her work on the recent reapproval of the Violence Against Women Act and the Supreme Court confirmation.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;Senator Feinstein is a workhorse for the people of California and a respected leader among her colleagues in the Senate,&#8221; Pelosi said. &#8220;She is constantly traveling between California and the Capitol, working relentlessly to ensure Californians\u2019 needs are met and voices are heard.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Pelosi said it was &#8220;unconscionable that, just weeks after losing her beloved husband of more than four decades and after decades of outstanding leadership to our City and State, she is being subjected to these ridiculous attacks that are beneath the dignity in which she has led and the esteem in which she is held.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Feinstein has notable made few public appearances outside of her official duties as a member of Senate committees. She has not held a town hall since 2017, and has yet to hold any local events this year, though her office has noted that she has attended numerous public events since that town hall, and that her public appearances this year could be attributed to the death of her husband and the pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Feinstein reportedly has at least one staff member with hear nearly at all times within the Capitol, with staff members guiding their senator to an extent farther than her colleagues.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>In a January 20 vote on an antitrust bill pertaining to Google and Amazon favoring their own products over third parties on their sites, Feinstein was reportedly confused about the bill and what it contained.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>When asked about the bill by the <em>Chronicle<\/em> days later, Feinstein reportedly said: \u201cI just don\u2019t know what it does, candidly. I have to look at it. What antitrust legislation are you talking about, what bill?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>Two senators that have served with Feinstein for years told the <em>Chronicle<\/em> on Wednesday that she does not always recognize them anymore.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-v-f313b7e6=\"\">\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s really hard to have a micromanager who is not fully remembering everything that we\u2019ve talked about,&#8221; one former staffer said. &#8220;My biggest concern is that it\u2019s a real disservice to the people of California.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fellow lawmakers and colleges have recently expressed concerns that 88-year-old Senator for California Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve, with people noting she is beginning to forget<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":498,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1439650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1439650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1439650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1439650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1439650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}