Long-serving Democratic senator from California Dianne Feinstein reportedly returned to the Senate on Wednesday but required assistance.
Feinstein, who had to be pushed into the chamber in a wheelchair to vote, was seen walking alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in an online video.
Liz Kreutz, a San Francisco-based reporter for ABC7, stated that the senator is “suffering from vision/balance impairments and will at times need to use a wheelchair to navigate the Capitol.”
According to the liberal Huffington Post, Feinstein was returned to the Capitol on Thursday with a quivering hand and the question, “Where am I going?” She had been absent for more than two months.
As reported by The Huffington Post:
As she gingerly climbed into the wheelchair, she could be heard wondering, “Where am I going?” She seated down in the chair while her hand visibly shook.
She complained, “I’ve got something in my eye,” while her eye appeared bloodshot.
“Where am I going?” Feinstein could be heard asking, as she slowly settled into the wheelchair. Her hand was visibly trembling as she took her seat.
“I’ve got something in my eye,” she said, as her eye appeared bloodshot. https://t.co/OI7QO0NcZw
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) May 10, 2023
In a statement regarding her health, Feinstein’s staff provided specifics.
“Even though I’ve made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I’m still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus,” Feinstein said in the release. “My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. I’m hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover.”
Feinstein, who is currently the oldest senator at 89 years old, has recently come under scrutiny because other senators have raised concerns about her mental competence.
Looks like she's finally meets the left's requirements for POTUS. Fienstein 24'? 😂😂😂🤘
— OverTheBS (@Maddad0072) May 10, 2023
Yea lady, that's it 🙄That poor woman belongs at home, resting.
— Dee (@Deeisnotmyname7) May 11, 2023
This is both pathetic and sad. Resign with grace so this is not the legacy.
— Michelle Lamb (@Chell_Lam) May 10, 2023
This feels like elder abuse
— Jamie G. 🐧🐈🦮🌊📚🌻 (@seachickenycats) May 10, 2023
In February, Feinstein announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024. The Daily Wire reports that three prominent House Democrats, Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee, have declared their candidacies for Feinstein’s vacant Senate seat.
Feinstein disclosed in March that she had chickenpox and has since been recuperating. Her absence resulted in a 10-10 tie in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s partisan vote, preventing the committee from confirming several of President Joe Biden’s nominees to federal courts across the country.
In the past few weeks, an increasing number of left-leaning Democrats, including Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), have demanded that Feinstein resign. At the same time, Republicans have maintained pressure by thwarting efforts to replace Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
I agree with @RoKhanna. Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet. https://t.co/lvaHhLJYsi
— Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 🟧 (@RepDeanPhillips) April 12, 2023
However, other Democrats were unwilling to demand her resignation.
Last month, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told Chuck Todd of NBC, “Dianne Feinstein is my friend.”
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
“She’s my colleague. We sit next to one another on the Judiciary Committee. She’s done extraordinary things in her public career. Let’s face it, she’s gone through several weeks of real travail over this shingles issue that she was obviously dealing with. She wants to come back,” he continued. CONTINUE READING…
