WASHINGTON – Leading progressives are calling on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign or step down from her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee fearing her absence will stall the president’s confirmation. Joe Bidenjudicial nominees.
“We need to put country before personal loyalty,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted on Wednesday, calling for Feinstein’s resignation. “Although he has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious that he can no longer carry out his duties. Not speaking up undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) later tweeted his support for Khanna’s concerns, calling Feinstein’s continued tenure a “dereliction of duty”:
Feinstein, 89, was hospitalized in early March after a shingles attack. The longest-serving California senator, who announced her retirement at the end of 2024, was released from the hospital a week later and is recovering in San Francisco. She said at the time that she hoped to make a full recovery and hoped to return to the Senate “as soon as possible.”
However, Democrats close to Feinstein and some Democratic congressional aides are concerned that he may never return to Washington, according to political.
Feinstein’s absence (his last vote in the Senate was on February 16) has already stalled committee vote about one of Biden’s candidates to 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 ramifications on the ability of Democrats to confirm judges.
Feinstein’s office told HuffPost on Wednesday that they do not yet have an update on when the senator will return to the Senate. The chamber has been on a two-week recess and is scheduled to return to session on Monday.
Indivisible, a progressive advocacy group, called on Feinstein to resign from the Judiciary Committee so Democrats can confirm more justices and fight GOP efforts to restrict abortion, such as a ruling by a district court of texas discontinuation of the abortion pill mifepristone across the country.
“If Senator Feinstein cannot be present for critical votes on these issues, then she should resign from the committee so that business can continue without further delay,” Ezra Levin, co-CEO of Indivisible, said in a statement to HuffPost. “As we saw in the mifepristone case in Texas, the types of judges that make up our federal judiciary are essential to our fundamental rights.”
Jon Lovett, the host of “Pod Save America” and a former speechwriter for Obama, also argued that Feinstein should step down before his planned 2024 retirement.
“Because she’s not on the Judiciary Committee…she’s made it basically impossible to move many of these lower court nominees to the Senate for a vote,” Lovett. saying in a podcast episode this week.
“Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate. She should resign, and more people should call on her to resign,” she added.
Leading legal scholars also weighed in on the matter this week.
“Schumer needs to get Feinstein off the Judiciary Committee and replace her as soon as possible.” tweeted Norm Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Feinstein announced her retirement in February after growing doubts about her mental acuity, even among her fellow Senate Democrats.
Three California Democrats in the House have already said they plan to run for her seat: Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff and kate porter.
If Feinstein resigns, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has promised to name a black woman to replace her in the Senate. That could be Lee, who is the highest-ranking black woman ever named to the Democratic House leadership.
Senate Democrats aren’t pushing Feinstein out the door yet, at least not publicly. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.), asked about calls by WPRI’s Ted Nesi for Feinstein to step aside on Tuesday, said he had the right to make a decision about his future at his own expense. .
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story referred to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse by the incorrect given name.
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