Feinstein’s ‘Cognitive Decline’ Evaluated After Calls To Retire

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of the Senate, is facing backlash from members of her own party because of her perceived lack of clarity.

An article published in The New Yorker reveals Feinstein as a bumbling elder stateswoman who struggles to remember issues she’s been briefed on earlier in the same day. The feature leads with details of a November hearing in the Senate on social media, where the California Democrat, 87, asks Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey a question on labeling President Donald Trump’s tweets as misleading. Dorsey answers, and then Feinstein asks him the same question -- word for word.

She has, and continues to be, the target of criticism on social media. Many were highly critical of the senator’s performance in November, while conservative outlets were saying it was time for her to retire.

“Some former Feinstein aides insist that rumors of her cognitive decline have been exaggerated, and that video clips taken out of context can make almost anyone look foolish,” New Yorker columnist Jane Mayer wrote in this week’s edition.

Feinstein, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also took flack during confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Countering the Democratic effort to paint the confirmation as a rush job from Republicans catering to President Donald Trump, Feinstein instead hugged committee chairman Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and ardent supporter of the president, and described the proceedings as “one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in,” the New Yorker relayed.

According to the essay, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said it was time for Feinstein to step down. Apparently, Schumer had several talks with Feinstein about her apparent decline. A Senate source told Mayer it was a “hurtful and distressing” conversation, which was made worse by the revelation that Feinstein apparently forgot and had to be confronted again by Schumer.

The reaction online ran the gamut from support to criticism. One user on Twitter wondered why there’s no mandatory retirement age for lawmakers as there are in other industries. Another said that if her constituents were unhappy with her performance, they could simply vote her out of office.

The conservative National Review, meanwhile, portrayed Mayer’s piece as something of a hit job, particularly its focus on the Supreme Court nomination hearing. By the time of the October confirmation hearings, most surveys showed Barret’s confirmation was all-but certain.

“Feinstein didn’t undermine a successful Democratic strategy against Barrett,” its commentary read. “The strategy had failed before the hug.”

There was no comment from Feinstein’s office and comments posted on her Twitter account make no reference to the New Yorker column.