Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) cognitive impairments were made public in a New York Times article, which also stoked opposition to her re-election to the Senate.
According to the story, Feinstein voiced her bewilderment when she realized that Kamala Harris, the vice president, was serving as the Senate’s chairperson.
The occurrence happened in one of the rare instances that Harris voted in the Senate to break a tie between Democrats and Republicans last year.
The 89-year-old is believed to have asked an assistant, “What is she doing here?” in reference to Harris.
Feinstein has come under fire from critics who claim that her refusal to step down has thwarted Biden’s attempts to appoint left-leaning justices to court openings. She stated in February that she would not run for reelection but would continue to hold office until the conclusion of her current term.
Feinstein was sent to the hospital in March with a severe case of shingles and returned to Congress at the beginning of May.
Feinstein seemed to indicate that she didn’t recall being gone from Congress in a troubling conversation with reporters.
Feinstein said, “I haven’t been away. You ought to…I have not traveled. I was actually working.”
A reporter said, “You have been doing work from your house, is that what you are saying?”
Feinstein said agitatedly, “No, I have been here. I’ve cast my ballot. You either know or you do not, please.”
A shocking 67% of Californians agreed, according to a recent survey, that her condition rendered her ineligible to hold office, while just 20% disagreed. 42% of Californians who were asked whether she should resign said she should, while just 27% said she should finish out her term.