Senator by dianne feinstein return to congress is clouded by more reports questioning his ability to serve, including a new anecdote Posted by Politico on Thursday about an alleged 2021 California Democrat memory lapse.
An anonymous member of Feinstein’s staff recalled the senator being welcomed by the senator. Tim Scott (RS.C.) to the camera, apparently mistaking him for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who had just won her seat in a special election. Both Scott, who joined the Senate in 2013, and Warnock are black.
Feinstein’s staffer recalled Scott “playing along” and telling the veteran senator, “Your support means a lot,” according to the report, which is part of journalist Ben Terris’ forthcoming book “The Big Break: The Gamblers, Animals partiers and true believers trying to win in Washington while America loses its mind.”
The offices of Feinstein and Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Feinstein’s Senate hiatus ended Wednesday, following increased concerns about his age and cognitive abilities. The 89-year-old had been out of office since early March after being hospitalized with a case of shingles.
A 2022 story from the San Francisco Chronicle he quoted an anonymous Democratic senator as saying, “It’s bad and it’s getting worse.”
a later New York Times report They cited lawmakers and advisers who said Feinstein “sometimes has difficulty remembering colleagues’ names, frequently has poor recollection of meetings or phone conversations, and sometimes walks around in a perplexed state.”
Prior to that, Feinstein worried colleagues when he asked the same question twice during a Nov. 17, 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with the CEO of Twitter. jack dorsey.
Feinstein responded to the criticism in a May 2022 statement, saying that while she had a “difficult” year coping with her late husband Richard C. Blum’s terminal illness, she “remained committed to achieving results and would put my record against anyone’s.” ”
“If the question is whether I am an effective senator for 40 million Californians, the record shows that I am,” the statement continued.