WASHINGTON — Prominent progressives are calling on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign or give up her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee over fears that her absence could prevent President Joe Biden from confirming nominees.
“We have to put country before personal loyalty,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) he posted on Twitter On Wednesday, he called on Feinstein to resign. “Although he has had a lifetime of public service, it is clear that he is no longer able to fulfill his duties. Not speaking up undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
Feinstein, 89, was hospitalized in early March after a bout of shingles. California’s longest-serving senator, who announced her retirement at the end of 2024, was released from the hospital a week later and is recovering in San Francisco. At the time, he said he expected to make a full recovery and hoped to return to the Senate “as soon as possible.”
However, Democrats close to Feinstein and some Democratic advisers fear she will never return to Washington, according to Politico.
Feinstein’s absence — her last Senate vote was on Feb. 16 — has already blocked a committee vote on one of Biden’s nominees in a federal appeals court. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Cnn recently that a prolonged absence of one of its members could have major consequences for Democrats’ ability to confirm judges.
Feinstein’s office told HuffPost on Wednesday that it still does not have an update on when the senator will return to the Senate. The house has been in recess for two weeks and is expected to resume on Monday.
Indivisible, a progressive advocacy group, has called on Feinstein to resign from the Judiciary Committee so Democrats can confirm more judges and fight GOP efforts to limit abortion, such as a Texas District Court ruling that suspends abortion with mifepristone nationwide. .
“If Senator Feinstein cannot be present for critical votes on these issues, then she should resign from the committee so that business can proceed without delay,” Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, said in a statement to HuffPost. “As we saw in the mifepristone case in Texas, the types of judges who make up our federal judiciary are essential to our fundamental rights.”
Jon Lovett, “Pod Save America” host and former Obama speechwriter, also argued that Feinstein should step down before her planned 2024 retirement.
“Because he’s not on the Judiciary Committee … he’s made it virtually impossible to move many of these lower court nominees to the Senate with a single vote,” Lovett She said in a podcast episode this week.
“Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate. She should resign and more people should ask her to resign,” he added.
Legal experts also weighed in this week.
“Schumer needs to remove Feinstein from the Judiciary Committee and replace her ASAP,” he posted on Twitter Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Feinstein announced her retirement in February after questions about her mental acuity grew, including among her fellow Senate Democrats.
Three California Democrats have already said they plan to run for his seat: Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.
If Feinstein resigns, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has vowed to appoint a black woman to replace her in the Senate. It could be Lee, who is the highest-ranking black woman nominated for Democratic House leadership.
Senate Democrats aren’t pushing Feinstein out yet, at least not publicly. Sen. Richard Whitehouse (D-RI), asked about calls for Feinstein to resign Tuesday by WPRI’s Ted Nesi, said she has the right to make her own decision about her future.
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