Senator Calls Ailing Feinstein ‘Astonishingly Brave’ by Remaining in the Senate
Republican obstruction forces Democrat to stay on to help Biden judges, Whitehouse says
Despite the complaints about her remaining in office despite seriously declining health, Sen Dianne Feinstein “is being astonishingly brave” by continuing her work, especially on the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to one of her Democratic colleagues.
Feinstein returned to Washington recently after a long illness, and had been absent from the Senate since February.
Many, including some fellow Democrats, began calling for the 89-year-old to resign because her extended absence from the Judiciary Committee was holding up the confirmation process for President Biden's nominations for federal judgeships.
The California Democrat asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to “allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve” on the panel “until I’m able to resume my committee work.”
However, using Senate rules, Republicans blocked Schumer from making that change.
Although Feinstein, who has been in office since 1992, initially disclosed that she had a case of shingles, her office recently revealed that her condition was much more serious.
And concern for Feinstein's cognitive abilities increased because of an interaction with reporters Tuesday, as reported by the Los Angeles Times and Slate, Feinstein appeared confused by questions about her absence, saying, “I haven't been gone. I've been here, I've been voting. Please, either know or don't know.”
Regardless of these worries, however, Feinstein is doing the only thing that she can given the rules of the Senate and Republican willingness to block any replacement on the Judiciary Committee — even if she were to resign, said her colleague on the judiciary panel, Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
And President Biden and Senate Democrats need Feinstein to remain in office and on the Judiciary Committee to continue to confirm judges, Whitehouse said.
“We need to be clear about what the rules are and what is going on. The Republicans are blocking anyone replacing Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee. This is part of their mania about right-wing judges,” he said. “And, whether Dianne Feinstein temporarily leaves the Judiciary Committee, or whether she permanently steps down or whether she resigns from the Senate, the rule is the same and the Republicans can block her successor from getting on to the Judiciary Committee, which will be an obstacle for us to continue to clear judges onto the courts.”
Democrats have been trying, under Biden, to quickly confirm judges so as to rebalance them after Donald Trump and Republicans installed such a large number of right-wing judges during his term.
So Feinstein is doing, really, the one thing that is left open to her because of the Republicans' obstruction to allow a replacement, Whitehouse said.
“Considering how difficult this has been for her, I think she is being astonishingly brave,” he added.
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