Joe Biden isn’t the only elderly Democratic politician at the helm of US politics to exhibit cognitive and memory issues.
89-year-old California Senator Dianne Feinstein first put out a statement about her upcoming retirement, then acted before reports as though she forgot all about it.
Feinstein’s Been Around Long Enough to Enrage Her Fellow Democrats
The Democrat Party’s gerontocracy is having it rough these days.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has been on the job for 31 years now and is the oldest member of the Senate, seemingly decided to fill in for the president on the cognitive decline front.
Her announcement not to seek 2024 reelection finally arrived on Tuesday, in which she herself is quoted as vowing to dedicate the rest of her last Senate term to bills that would benefit California.
In the past few years, especially after her last reelection in 2018, Feinstein has been enraging Democrats with her occasional weird actions, from a leftist standpoint, that is.
During those, she seemed to be praising and/or agreeable with the Republican cause. Feinstein’s worsening cognitive issues were outlined in a 2020 article by The New Yorker.
Asked by reporters about her announcement to resign, @SenFeinstein says “If I haven't made that decision, I haven't released anything.” A staffer then told the senator that a statement had been released. Feinstein responded saying “I didn’t know they put it out.”
— Christian Hall (@christianjhall) February 14, 2023
Feinstein on her retirement: “I haven’t made that decision. I haven't released anything.”
Staffer: “We put out the statement.”
Feinstein: “You put out the statement? I didn't know they put it out.”
— Savannah Behrmann (@SavBehrmannDC) February 14, 2023
Dianne Feinstein is a perfect example of why we absolutely NEED term limits pic.twitter.com/VGBwrJboa7
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) February 14, 2023
She ‘Didn’t Know’ and She Will Retire ‘Some Day’
Speaking with reporters later on Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein seemed as though she had no knowledge of her own office’s statement that she would retire at the end of her current six-year term.
Multiple reporters posted on Twitter said Feinstein didn’t know a statement had been released, then got into an argument with a staffer who quickly told her about it, Fox News reported.
When she was asked to comment on her retirement announcement from earlier in the day, the 89-year-old California Democrat said she hadn’t “made that decision” or “hadn’t released anything.”
A staffer then stepped, reminding her that her office released a statement. Feinstein, however, responded by declaring she “did not know they put it out.”
According to another reporter’s account, Feinstein actually said she “should have known they put it out.”
Feinstein said the following about her retirement, “I haven’t made that decision. I haven’t released anything.”
A staffer said, “We put out the statement.” Then, Feinstein said, “You put out the statement? I didn’t know they put it out.”
In any case, Capitol Hill reporters were categorical that the California senator seemed “confused” about her retirement statement.
Yet, another report by Raw Story, barely an hour after her retirement announcement had been released, said Feinstein wasn’t going to announce “anything” and she “will one day.”
A spokesperson from Feinstein’s office later told Fox News the awkward situation was “just confusion on timing,” not that the senator had forgotten or been utterly not aware she would be retiring at the end of next year.
I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends. Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) February 14, 2023
This article appeared in The State Today and has been published here with permission.Re-upping my favorite video ever, which happens to be of Dianne Feinstein. We need more legislators willing to crush the dreams of 8 year olds, in my personal opinion pic.twitter.com/PTYygpopoz
— Julia Johnson (@juliaajohnson_) February 14, 2023