Dianne Feinstein expressed confusion over Kamala Harris presiding over Senate, report claims

Concerns regarding whether Senator Diane Feinstein can adequately do her job have surfaced once again after a new reporter from The New York Times.

The report comes as Ms Feinstein returned from an extended medical absence this month; Democrats fumed at the inability of the Senate Judiciary Committee chair's inability to carry out her role at a time when the committee was attempting to mount a coherent and convincing response to growing concerns about potential ethical abuses at the Supreme Court.

According to the Times, the instances of Ms Feinstein's forgetfulness and confusion highlighted by other media outlets in recent weeks (such as her bizarre statement to a report denying any absence from the chamber) are more commonplace than previously known.

In one instance last year reported by the Times, the California senator appeared confused as to why Kamala Harris, serving in the vice presidential role as president of the Senate, was presiding over the chamber.

"What's she doing here?" she is reported to have asked in confusion. (In a closely divided Senate it is relatively common for a vice president to be forced to preside over Senate business to cast tie-breaking votes).

The Times also reports: “Staff members have been overheard explaining to her that she cannot leave yet because there are more votes to come...They push her wheelchair, remind her how and when she should vote and step in to explain what is happening when she grows confused.”

The report is likely to be just one more piece of ammunition for those who argued during her absence that the aging California senator should resign. Numerous reports have detailed how Ms Feinstein, 89, is heavily reliant on aides to remind her of basic Senate procedure as well as her own votes, both in the past and to come.

Defenders of the senator have dismissed those concerns about her basic ability to her job as sexist and point to the continued service of male politicians of similar age in response; none, however, have demonstrated the difficulty in remembering basic information that Ms Feinstein has on multiple occasions.

In February, she announced that she would not seek re-election in 2024. That set off a massive contest in the blue stronghold of California where a number of prominent candidates, including Reps Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter, have already launched bids for the seat.

The race is likely to be an expensive one, and made all the more complex by the announcement of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, that he plans to appoint a Black woman to the seat should Ms Feinstein resign early.