WASHINGTON — Sen. Dianne Feinstein tried to fend off questions about her mental sharpness Friday after a report suggested she was “seriously struggling” with cognitive decline — but would not commit to serving out her term.
Feinstein (D-Calif.) — the oldest member of the Senate at 87 — is facing growing questions about her performance amid a tsunami of criticism over how she handled the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
When asked by CNN in a congressional hallway if she would stay until her six-year term ends in 2024, Feinstein would only say: “Well, if it changes, I’ll let you know.”
Asked if she feels she is still able to carry out her duties, Feinstein said, “I do — I work hard. I have good staff. I think I am productive. And I represent the people of California as well as I possibly can,” she said.
The senator’s comments came after the New Yorker, in a report published Thursday, said Feinstein often becomes confused in meetings and forgets being briefed on a topic, “accusing her staff of failing to do so just after they have.”
“The staff is in such a bad position,” one former Senate aide told the publication. “They have to defend her and make her seem normal.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has reportedly had several “painful” discussions with the octogenarian about stepping aside and even made overtures to Feinstein’s billionaire husband, Richard C. Blum.
But Feinstein reportedly soon forgets about their talks, forcing Schumer to confront her again, one source said.
“It was like ‘Groundhog Day,’ but with the pain fresh each time,” another source said.
Some people familiar with the situation blamed Schumer for not talking Feinstein out of running for re-election in 2018, with her current term due to end when she will be 91 years old. Schumer’s office did not comment.
Grumblings over Feinstein’s performance first began during the high court confirmation hearings of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 but reached a boiling point during Barrett’s confirmation — leading to Feinstein’s decision to step down last month as ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.
The lawmaker bungled several questions and then caused a furor when she ended Barrett’s hearings by hugging Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and praising him for “one of the best set of hearings that I have participated in.”
Schumer was reportedly so concerned about Feinstein’s performance that he “installed a trusted former aide, Max Young, to ’embed’ in the Judiciary Committee to make sure the hearings didn’t go off the rails,” the New Yorker reported.
When asked by CNN if she thought the report was fair, the California lawmaker responded: “No, not particularly. No one talked to me.”