‘Painfully Obvious’ Feinstein Needs to Resign: Judiciary Concession Not Enough, Congressman Says
Five-term senator's absence stalling Biden judges
A Democratic congressman still wants to Sen Dianne Feinstein to retire immediately, saying that her recent announcement that she would temporarily step aside from the Senate Judiciary Committee is not sufficient.
At issue has been the 89-year-old Democratic senator's health and ability to do her job. Feinstein, a California Democrat, who's been a senator since 1992, has been at home in San Francisco recovering from shingles.
She hasn't cast a vote in the Senate since February, and her absence on the Senate Judiciary Committee has held up President Biden's ability to get his federal judicial appointments out of committee and to the Senate floor for confirmation.
Khanna Thursday reiterated his call for Feinstein's resignation.
“First of all, let me just say this. I have an enormous amount of respect for Senator Dianne Feinstein. She has had an extraordinary career in public service. She has been an icon on issues of gun violence and women’s rights. But it has become painfully obvious to many of us in California that she is no longer able to fulfill her duties as she doesn’t have a clear return date,” Khanna said. “We haven’t been able to confirm judges at a time where women’s rights and voting rights are under assault.
“Senator [Dick] Durbin himself, as the chair of Judiciary, has said that the reason we’re not being able to move these judges is because Senator Feinstein isn’t there,” Khanna added. “And so as someone from California, I felt an obligation to say what’s so many colleagues are saying in private, that the time has come for her to gracefully step down and have a dignified end to a very distinguished political career.”
This week, Feinstein — who has said that she will retire next year rather than seek reelection — told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to place a substitute on the judiciary panel in her absence, in order to restart Biden's judicial pipeline.
Khanna, however, thinks that that's not enough, and that Feinstein should step down immediately.
“It’s a step but, as has been reported, it’s not that simple. Any single senator, Republican senator, can object to that. Senator Schumer has done the right thing. He said he’s going to try to get that done in the Senate. But we have to see if that’s even possible,” Khanna said. “And I guess my question is, why not just take the step and resign instead of going through all of these motions? But I will say it’s constructive. The most urgent issue is that we can get our judges confirmed.”
A crowded field of Democrats has shaped up to try to succeed the five-term Feinstein, but Khanna has taken himself out of the running in that race.
If Feinstein were to resign, California Gov Gavin Newsom (D) would appoint an interim senator who would serve until the next election, which will be November 2024.
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