According to a report, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, informed a reporter that she had not been absent despite her three-month leave due to her recovery from the shingles virus.
The remark was made during a recent interaction with journalists after Feinstein voted against a legislation that aimed to invalidate certain crime bills passed by the Washington D.C. council, as per the Los Angeles Times.
Feinstein, as mentioned in the report, shared with reporters about a leg issue but mentioned that she was feeling better overall. Furthermore, when a different reporter inquired about the messages she received from fellow Senators upon her return last week, she responded.
“What have I heard about what?” Feinstein asked.
“About your return,” the reporter said.
“I haven’t been gone,” Feinstein said. “You should … I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.”
“You’ve been working from home is what you’re saying?” the reporter responded.
“No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please, either know or don’t know,” Feinstein allegedly said back.
Afterward, Feinstein passed by in her wheelchair without providing any additional responses.
The 89-year-old senator from California, who had been diagnosed with the shingles virus earlier in 2023, returned to the U.S. Capitol on May 10.
Upon her return, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement expressing his joy that his “friend Dianne is back in the Senate and prepared to actively engage in her work.”
Feinstein’s initial medical diagnosis was conveyed to Fox News Digital through a statement on March 2.
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“I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles. I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco,” Feinstein’s office said. “I hope to return to the Senate later this month.”
Some in Congress, however, say it’s time for Feinstein to resign.
“It’s time for [Feinstein] to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said 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.”
Among those who demanded Senator Feinstein’s resignation was Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York.
“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 earlier. “That failure means now in this precious window Dems can only pass GOP-approved nominees.”
