Dianne Feinstein hospitalized after fall in San Francisco home
Sen. Dianne Feinstein was forced to the hospital after tripping and falling Tuesday in her hometown of San Francisco, according to her office.
“Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear and she returned home,” a spokesperson told The Post.
Feinstein (D-Calif.) suffered “no serious injuries” from the tumble, her spokesperson stressed. The hospital visit was first reported by TMZ.
The Senate is currently on recess and set to return Sept. 5.
Feinstein, 90, was hospitalized earlier this year after a bout with shingles and was absent from the Senate for about three months before returning in May. She is the oldest sitting lawmaker in either chamber of Congress.
During her absence, Feinstein missed dozens of key votes and was blamed by some progressives for slowing the progress ofPresident Biden’s controversial picks for federal judgeships through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Aides later confirmed that Feinstein suffered complications from the shingles, including encephalitis — brain inflammation — and Ramsay Hunt syndrome that prolonged her time away from the upper chamber.
Much of her absence overlapped with Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) extended time away from the Senate due to treatment for clinical depression.
Fetterman returned to the Senate in April.
At times, Feinstein has had public mental lapses and appeared confused during Senate proceedings, drawing scrutiny from observers.
At one point during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last month, an aide and one of her colleagues had to prompt her to vote “aye” on the annual defense spending bill.
The California senator has also ceded power of attorney to her daughter amid a family power struggle over her late husband Richard Blum’s estate, the New York Times reported.
Feinstein has decided not to vie for reelection and her term is set to end at the start of 2025.
Her departure has triggered a Democratic primary scramble to replace her in what could become one of the most expensive non-presidential elections ever
Top contenders to replace Feinstein include Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee.
Under California’s primary system, the top two vote-getters will square off in the November general election, even if both are from the same party. This happened in 2016, when then-state attorney general Kamala Harris fended off then-Rep. Loretta Sanchez to win a seat in the Senate.
