Amy Klobuchar calls for Dianne Feinstein to resign

WASHINGTON – Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) suggested Thursday that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) may have to resign if she is unable to return to Washington in the coming months, refraining from directly calling for the resignation of your colleague.

“You can’t leave the seat vacant for that long,” Klobuchar said when asked about his Senate Judiciary Committee colleague during an interview with CNN.

“I am hopeful that she can (come back). Again, I want to see what happens in the next month or so. You give him that time to be able to come back,” added the Democrat from Minnesota. “But if she can’t come back month after month, with this (margin) closed in the Senate, that’s not just going to hurt California. It will be a problem for the country.”

Feinstein, 89, has been absent from the upper house for nearly two months as he recovers from a bout of shingles. It is not clear when he plans to return. A Wednesday statement from the senator quoted “ongoing complications” of her diagnosis and asked to be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee until she recovers.

Some House Democrats have called for the California senator to step aside so the party can confirm President Joe Biden’s top nominees. His absence has stalled committee vote about an appellate court candidate, and some democrats have expressed concern that Feinstein may never return to Capitol Hill.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) requested the resignation of the veteran legislator on Wednesday, praising his “life of public service” but adding that “it is obvious that he can no longer carry out his duties.” Feinstein previously said that he will leave Congress at the end of his current term in 2024.

Klobuchar suggested Thursday that a prolonged absence from Feinstein could have bigger ramifications for Democrats than just the ability to confirm Biden’s judicial nominees.

“If it goes on and on and on and on, then we have one less vote in the Senate and what is still a one vote margin becomes a whole other issue. I think she’s going to have to make a serious decision at that point,” he said on CNN.

Replacing Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee cannot be an easy task either. Committee assignments are generally drawn up by the respective party leaders at the start of each Congress and quickly approved by unanimous consent. In this case, however, any Republican could oppose such a move on the grounds that he does not want to make it easy for Democrats to confirm Biden’s nominees. That likely means it would require bipartisan support.

“It takes 60 votes, so we’re going to need 10 Republicans to accept this, if history is any guide,” Klobuchar said. “I hope they do.”