Democratic Party infighting over whether or not it was time to force California Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) to resign spilled out into full public view Friday morning as CBS and NBC presented greatly conflicting narratives about the aging Senator’s health condition. The former questioned if a younger Feinstein would want her older self in office, while the latter suggested she was fine and asserted it was sexist to call for her to resign.
From the get-go, CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil make it clear that their position was to be critical Feinstein remaining in office until the end of the term. “And we’re learning more about the health of California Senator Dianne Feinstein and calls for her to resign,” he announced. “The 89-year-old Democrat recently returned to Capitol Hill in a wheelchair after a nearly three-month absence due to a bout of Shingles. Now, her office confirms that she's dealing with some serious complications.”
Congressional correspondent Nikole Killion played the audio of a disturbing interaction Feinstein recently had with an L.A. Times reporter where she didn’t seem to remember being away from the Senate for three months:
FEINSTEIN: I haven't been gone. I've been working.
REPORTER: You’ve been working from home is what you’re saying?
FEINSTEIN: No, I've been here.
Killion warned that Feinstein was on the Senate Judiciary Committee and her ailing health was causing major problems for Democrats. She concluded with the Democratic debate on whether the Senator should resign and raised suspicions about the support she was getting from prominent Democrats (Click “expand”):
Now, there are several others running for Feinstein's seat including California Congressman Adam Schiff who is backed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. If Feinstein were to retire, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to appoint a black woman.
But that is why some are questioning the relationship between Feinstein and Pelosi's eldest daughter who is now assisting her here in Washington. The former Speaker has defended Feinstein's decision to stay and serve out her term, although a source close to the Speaker tells CBS News that there is no political agenda here.
This was followed up with a conversation between Dokoupil and co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson, where Dokoupil openly questioned if Feinstein still existed in her head and if a younger version of herself would want her in office:
I don't think her younger self would have chosen her to be in this particular role at this particular time. But she is expressing that's where she wants to be. The question is how much of her is left in there making that decision.
“The bottom line is we want somebody who is healthy and up for the job. And when you physically look at it, that does not appear to be the case based on what we're looking at. So, you just want her to be healthy,” King agreed.
Meanwhile, on NBC’s Today, they tried to massage Feinstein’s condition into something manageable.
Instead of talking about how her office was intentionally failing to disclose how seriously poor her condition was, senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake framed it as “her office is revealing that her illness was far worse than previously known,” as if they were just learning about it too.
Haake did mention that Feinstein had complications from “Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and encephalitis” and her seemingly misremembering the last three months (reading quotes rather than play the audio as CBS did), but he boasted about the support she was receiving from Democrats and downplayed her critics (Click “expand”):
As she recovers, Feinstein has been escorted in Congress by one of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughters whom a spokesperson says is an old friend. Many prominent Democrats have been supporting Feinstein and they need her vote, especially on the closely divided Judiciary Committee, where last week she helped advance three stalled nominees.
And although some Democratic House members have called for her resignation, her Senate colleagues in both parties have defended her decision to finish her current term – her sixth – and retire next year.
He also proclaimed Feinstein “sounded like her old self” during a Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, complete with edited images of her sparkling like a diamond (pictured above). And as he was wrapping up the segment, he also smeared her detractors as sexist:
Now, some of Feinstein’s supporters say the concerns about her fitness and calls for her resignation are just blatantly sexist. Former Senator Strom Thurmond, after all, retired at 100 and Republican leader Mitch McConnell spent five weeks at home this year recovering from a concussion, while Iowa’s Chuck Grassley is just three months Feinstein's junior. All of them, of course, are men.
Of course, he omitted that one of the people calling for Feinstein to resign was Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA), who’s running for the seat.
The conflicting narratives from either side of the Democratic trenches was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Honda on CBS and Liberty Mutual on NBC.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Mornings
May 19, 2023
7:30:23 a.m. EasternTONY DOKOUPIL: And we’re learning more about the health of California Senator Dianne Feinstein and calls for her to resign. Those calls continuing today. The 89-year-old Democrat recently returned to Capitol Hill in a wheelchair after a nearly three-month absence due to a bout of shingles. Now, her office confirms that she's dealing with some serious complications.
Nikole Killion joins us now from Capitol Hill with what happens at stake for Democrats and President Biden's agenda in additions to the Senator's health. Nikole, good morning.
NIKOLE KILLION: Hey, good morning to you, Tony. And Senator Feinstein's return has given Democrats a critical vote back on big issues like the upcoming debt limit and confirming judges here in the narrowly divided senate. But she is keeping a much lighter schedule, missing some votes and meetings, prompting some within her own party to consider whether she should step aside.
[Cuts to video]
California Senator Dianne Feinstein came back to the Capitol last week to a standing ovation.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): I want to welcome back our colleague, Senator Dianne Feinstein.
KILLION: After battling shingles for nearly three months, a spokesperson for the 89-year-old Democrat confirmed Thursday she suffered from additional complications, including a rare neurological disorder called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and encephalitis or inflammation of the brain.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER 1: How is your recovery going, Senator?
KILLION: Earlier this week, the Senator faced renewed scrutiny over her health after a Los Angeles Times Reporter asked her about her return to the Senate.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): I haven't been gone. I've been working.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER 2: You’ve been working from home is what you’re saying?
FEINSTEIN: No, I've been here.
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I think she should step down.
KILLION: California Congressman Ro Khanna is one of several lawmakers demanding Feinstein's resignation.
KHANNA: She's representing 40 million people in California. We need someone who's going to be on top of the job.
KILLION: Feinstein holds a seat on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee where Democrats now have a one-vote advantage over Republicans. So, missing one vote leaves Democrats short of getting President Biden's judicial nominees through.
What kind of accommodations do you have to make?
DURBIN: Well, we schedule things that work for her to make sure that she's able to attend physically.
FEINSTEIN: I was there in San Francisco for nine years --
KILLION: As the longest serving female senator, the five-term legislator announced in February that she would not seek re-election next year. Congresswoman Katie Porter is running for her seat.
Any concerns about her ability to serve out her full term?
REP. KATIE PORTER (D-CA): I think it's very, very clear that it's time for a change in California. That's why I declared to run.
[Cuts back to live]
KILLION: Now, there are several others running for Feinstein's seat including California Congressman Adam Schiff who is backed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. If Feinstein were to retire, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to appoint a black woman.
But that is why some are questioning the relationship between Feinstein and Pelosi's eldest daughter who is now assisting her here in Washington. The former Speaker has defended Feinstein's decision to stay and serve out her term, although a source close to the Speaker tells CBS News that there is no political agenda here. Back to you.
NATE BURLESON: Nikole, thank you. This is very layered.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah, it’s very layered. She's had an historic career. Represents 40 million people in the state of California. I don't think her younger self would have chosen her to be in this particular role at this particular time. But she is expressing that's where she wants to be. The question is how much of her is left in there making that decision.
BURLESON: To do the job.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah. And to do the job.
GAYLE KING: The bottom line is we want somebody who is healthy and up for the job. And when you physically look at it, that does not appear to be the case based on what we're looking at. So, you just want her to be healthy.
NBC Today
May 19, 2023
7:11:36 a.m. EasternSAVANNAH GUTHRIE: In Washington, there are growing concerns this morning about the health of 89-year-old California Senator Dianne Feinstein. She is the oldest member of the Senate. She returned to Washington last week following a three-month absence. She was recovering from shingles.
NBC’s senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake has more on these new developments. Garrett, good morning.
GARRETT HAAKE: Hey, Savannah. Good morning. And Democrats were thrilled to welcome Senator Feinstein back, but that return now has turned rocky and her office is revealing that her illness was far worse than previously known.
[Cuts to video]
New details this morning about Senator Feinstein's recovery from shingles. Her office sharing the 89-year-old was also dealing with a number of previously undisclosed complications, including a form of facial paralysis called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome and encephalitis, swelling of the brain.
“While encephalitis resolved itself after released from the hospital, she continues to have complications from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome,” her office telling NBC News.
The Senate’s oldest member, Feinstein returned to the Senate just last week after missing 91 votes in a three-month span. As she recovers, Feinstein has been escorted in Congress by one of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughters whom a spokesperson says is an old friend. Many prominent Democrats have been supporting Feinstein and they need her vote, especially on the closely divided Judiciary Committee, where last week she helped advance three stalled nominees.
And although some Democratic House members have called for her resignation, her Senate colleagues in both parties have defended her decision to finish her current term – her sixth – and retire next year.
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): She should be corded respect and dignity.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Right now she is performing as a United States Senator doing her job.
HAAKE: But Feinstein has struggled with elements of that job, missing four votes since her return and appearing to forget her own prolonged absence in a rare exchange with reporters this week.
“I haven't been gone. I've been working,” she told an L.A. Times reporter. “I've been here. I've been voting.” Feinstein has been adamant about finishing her term and participating in that key Judiciary Committee where on Thursday she sounded like her old self.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): I was mayor of San Francisco for nine years. There was no program more favorable with people than police on the streets.
HAAKE: With a debt ceiling vote likely soon in which every senator's vote could prove crucial, Democrats hope Feinstein remains healthy enough to stay in Washington.
[Cuts back to live]
Now, some of Feinstein’s supporters say the concerns about her fitness and calls for her resignation are just blatantly sexist. Former Senator Strom Thurmond, after all, retired at 100 and Republican leader Mitch McConnell spent five weeks at home this year recovering from a concussion, while Iowa’s Chuck Grassley is just three months Feinstein's junior. All of them, of course, are men. Hoda, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: All right. Garrett, thank you very much.
