Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrives at the U.S. Capitol for first time in months
Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrives at the U.S. Capitol following a months-long absence due to shingles.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was nearly an hour and a half late to a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Thursday, one day after returning to Washington from her extended health absence.
Feinstein, who has been home in California and away from senatorial duties in Washington for months, returned to the city on Wednesday, but was not present for multiple votes that day, nor for most of a key nominations meeting Thursday. Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said at the beginning of the meeting that he hoped she would arrive, but the committee had to wait well over an hour.
"I want to welcome back our colleague, Sen. Dianne Feinstein," Durbin said upon her late arrival.
Senators and staff welcomed Feisntein back to the committee with a round of applause, with many attendees giving a standing ovation. Her arrival allowed the committee to move forward with voting on some of President Biden's most controversial judicial nominations.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer greets Sen. Dianne Feinstein as she returns to the U.S. Capitol on May 10, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Feinstein voting in favor of the judicial picks, including Charnelle Bjelkengren, who Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, described as perhaps "the least qualified nominee I've seen in 11 years serving on this committee." Cruz recalling how at her confirmation hearing, Bjelkengren did not know what Article V or Article II of the Constitution are when asked by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.
Feinstein's office did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on the senator's whereabouts on Wednesday, as well as Thursday morning after the hearing began.
The 89-year-old senator, assisted in a wheelchair, had made an appearance on the Senate floor on Wednesday to cast two votes, but she missed multiple votes earlier in the day. The total number of votes she has missed since her February diagnosis with shingles is at least 93.
The large tally has prompted calls from politicians on both sides of the aisle for the veteran senator to retire.
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Sen. Feinstein returned to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and cast two votes, despite missing multiple votes earlier that day. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
"It’s time for [Feinstein] to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty," Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wrote on Twitter. "While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has also called for the senator's resignation as several judicial nominations remain pending in the Senate.
"Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary – precisely where [reproductive] rights are getting stripped," Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview. "That failure means now in this precious window Dems can only pass GOP-approved nominees."
Feinstein exited her vehicle outside the Capitol and got into a wheelchair. She says doctors told her to take a "lighter schedule." (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Feinstein explained during her Wednesday trip to the Capitol that her doctors had recommended a "lighter schedule" as she deals with the remaining symptoms of her shingles infection.
"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 a statement. "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 took office in 1992 and is the longest-serving senator in California history, announced in February she would not seek re-election in 2024.
