Many Senators have been sick or recovering from illnesses. But it looks like the end of the road for one.
And tragic news of this U.S. Senator just shook Capitol Hill to its core.
For the past six months or so, the United States Senate has been operating at reduced capacity.
Senator John Fetterman was hospitalized for depression and to recover from the massive stroke he had on the campaign trail last year.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was rushed to the hospital after injuring himself in a nasty fall.
But worst of all was Senator Dianne Feinstein, who disappeared without a trace for months to ostensibly recover from a bout of shingles.
Feinstein, 89, returned to the Senate just last week after spending nearly three months away from Washington, DC, but her first interview should have everyone worried.
When asked by a reporter Tuesday about the welcome she’s had from colleagues since her return, Feinstein lashed out at the reporter and gave replies that indicated she was apparently ignorant she’d been out.
“No, I haven’t been gone,” Feinstein said. “You should follow the — I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.”
When asked if she meant that she’d been working from home, the senior senator from California responded, “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please. You either know or don’t know.”
Feinstein, who was being wheeled through the Senate by a staffer, also informed a reporter that she was “feeling fine” but had “a problem with the leg.”
When asked what was wrong with her leg, she replied, “nothing that’s anyone’s concern but mine.”
For years, Feinstein, the Senate’s senior member, has faced criticism about her apparent diminishing cognitive ability.
According to many sources, Feinstein’s short-term memory is so weak that she “often forgets she has been briefed on a topic, accusing her staff of failing to do so just after they have.”
Additionally, according to the publication, Feinstein has had multiple “painful” conversations about resigning with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), only for her to quickly forget about them.
Two years later, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a member of California’s congressional delegation who had known Feinstein for almost a decade had to continually reintroduce herself to her during a lengthy debate.
In accordance to the report, her staff handles the majority of her obligations.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) called on Feinstein to resign last month due to her absence from the Senate chamber.
“It’s time for [Feinstein] to resign,” Khanna said. “We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) quickly echoed his statement, tweeting, “I agree with [Khanna].”
“Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet,” he added.
Feinstein stated in a statement upon her return to the Senate last week that she had “made significant progress” but was “still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus.”
“My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate,” she said.
Feinstein declared earlier this year that she will not run for re-election in 2024.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
