Sen. Dianne Feinstein refuses to resign amid calls from Democratic lawmakers

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, insisted on Wednesday that she intends to return to the Senate “as soon as possible” after two House Democrats called for her immediate resignation, arguing that she can “no longer fulfill her duties.” 

“When I was first diagnosed with shingles, I expected to return by the end of the March work period. Unfortunately, my return to Washington has been delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis,” the California Democrat said in a statement.

“I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel. In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco,” she added.

Feinstein, the oldest serving member of the Senate, revealed on March 2 that she was hospitalized for shingles treatment after being diagnosed with an infection in February.

She was released from the San Francisco hospital on March 7, but has yet to return to the Senate and is continuing to receive treatment from her home in California.

Feinstein’s absence has thrown judicial confirmation proceedings in the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which she is a member, into disarray. 

The senior senator for California acknowledged this fact on Wednesday and offered a potential workaround.

“I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee, so I’ve asked Leader [Chuck] Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work,” Feinstein said.  

For the last several weeks, Democrats in the Senate have been limited to only 49 members, equaling Republicans, due to the absence of Feinstein and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was hospitalized for treatment for clinical depression.  

“I’m anxious because I can’t really have a mark-up of new judge nominees until she’s there,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said last month of the impact Feinstein’s absence has had on his panel’s work.  

Rep. Ro Khanna on Wednesday called on Feinstein to resign amid the health battle that has kept her away from the Senate chamber for over a month. 

“It’s time for [Feinstein] to resign,” fellow California Democrat Khanna wrote in a tweet on Wednesday, becoming the first member of Congress to publicly demand that the senior senator step down. 

“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,” he added. 

His call was soon echoed by Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who tweeted minutes later, “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.

Khanna defended Feinstein in April of last year as reports emerged that she was mentally unfit to serve, calling allegations made in the San Francisco Chronicle about her deteriorating memory “ageist and cruel.”

“This type of rumor-mongering is disrespectful to Senator Feinstein’s lifetime of public service and, frankly, ageist and cruel at a time when she just lost her husband,” the congressman said in a statement. 

However, Khanna now joins a growing chorus of voices on the left calling for Feinstein’s resignation. 

Jon Lovett, an ex-speechwriter for former President Barack Obama and the founder of progressive media company Crooked Media, on Tuesday demanded that Feinstein immediately resign. 

“Because she is not in the Judiciary Committee, Durbin has said that it has made it basically impossible to move a lot of these lower court nominees to the Senate for a vote, which means that Dianne Feinstein, who should not be in the Senate, is now preventing us from being able to confirm judges,” Lovett said on his podcast, “Pod Save America.”

“I think what the people around Dianne Feinstein are doing, allowing, being part of this farce of having a lack of a senator in such an important job is really wrong,” he continued.

“And Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate. She has to resign and more people should be calling on her to resign.”

Jon Cooper, a fundraiser for Obama and the former national finance chair of Draft Biden 2016, also called for Feinstein to step down before the Senate reconvenes next week.

“Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was hospitalized in early March for shingles and has remained in her San Francisco home since March 7th, has missed 60 of the 82 votes taken in the Senate so far this year,” Cooper tweeted on Tuesday.

“The Senate, which has been on recess since March 31st, is preparing to return on April 17th. Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin says that Feinstein’s absence will seriously impede Democrats’ ability to confirm President Biden’s judicial nominees.”

“With all due respect, Feinstein needs to resign immediately — or at least she should be replaced on the Judiciary Committee by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer,” Cooper added.

In February, Feinstein announced that she will not seek a sixth term in office in 2024.