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Democrats Increase Pressure For Dianne Feinstein To Resign

Photo of Carmine Sabia Carmine SabiaApril 16, 2023
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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.

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Democrats are increasing their efforts to convince California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein to retire and stop being a roadblock to President Joe Biden’s agenda by her absence.

California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and spoke with host Shannon Bream about having Sen. Feinstein retire so that California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom can appoint a replacement.

But Bream asked him if he had the same concerns about Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman who has spent more time in the hospital than he has in the Senate since he was elected.

“It’s one thing to take medical leave and come back. It’s another thing where you’re just not doing the job,” he said. “The reality here is the sense that you need to have a deference to these senators who served so long. How about a deference to the American people? How about an expectation that if you sign up to do one of these jobs, you show up?”

“This has to do with someone who is just not showing up, and I said out loud what people have been saying in private, and this is how the Beltway works. They don’t like it when you call out someone who’s in power, and that’s why people are unlikely to do it. But we’ve had so many calls from the American people and they say ‘Yeah, that’s right. If you’re gonna sign up to do these jobs, show up!’” he said.

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On the other Sunday shows his fellow Democrats were having their feet held to the fire on the Sen. Feinstein issue.

On the CNN show “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper grilled New York Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on her stance.

“Senator, there are growing calls among Democrats for 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein to resign. She’s missed 60 votes over the last two months due to illness. Her absence is increasingly harming Democrats’ ability to confirm nominees, pass legislation,” the host said.

“There’s been a lot of talk in the last several years about her awareness, her cognitive abilities. Do you think it’s time for her to step down?” he said.

“Dianne Feinstein is an extraordinary senator, and she’s been a role model and a mentor to me my entire career,” the senator said.

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“I sit with her on the Intelligence Committee. She asks some of the most searing, pointed questions of anyone on that committee. Her legacy and her depth of experience is valuable. And we have had so many senators who have had illnesses, whether it’s Mitch McConnell’s illnesses, or senators who have had strokes,” she said, an apparent reference to Sen. Fetterman

“These are issues that — we’re human. And we believe that a senator should be able to make their own judgments about when they’re retiring and when they’re not. And they all deserve a chance to get better and come back to work. Dianne will get better. She will come back to work.

“And she’s already told Senator Schumer that she can replace — that he can replace her on the Judiciary Committee if it’s urgent for these hearings for judges. She’s a team player, and she’s an extraordinary member of the Senate. It’s her right. She’s been voted by her state to be senator for six years. She has the right, in my opinion, to decide when she steps down,” she said.

And on the ABC show “This Week,” Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar said that her absence is “going to become an issue.”

“If this goes on month after month after month, then she’s going to have to make a decision with her family and her friends about what her future holds,” she said. “Because this isn’t just about California. It’s also about the nation. And we just can’t — with this one vote margin, and expect every other person to be there every single time. So it’s going to become an issue as the months go by.”

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Photo of Carmine Sabia Carmine SabiaApril 16, 2023