Senator Dianne Feinstein of California announced her retirement Tuesday, but the 89-year-old Democrat seemed unaware she had done so just hours later.
Feinstein issued a statement mid-afternoon indicating she would not seek re-election in 2024.
“I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” the statement reads.
“Each of us was sent here to solve problems. That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years,” she added. “My thanks to the people of California for allowing me to serve them.”
Seems rather definitive, right?
I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends. Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) February 14, 2023
RELATED: Feinstein Says China A ‘Respectable Nation’ That Has Lifted Millions Out Of Poverty
Dianne Feinstein Seems Unaware That She Announced Retirement Just Hours Earlier
Feinstein, who has served as the United States senator from California since 1992, is the longest-serving female senator ever and is currently the oldest in office.
And it sometimes shows.
Hours after issuing a statement announcing her retirement, Feinstein seemed unaware that she had done so in speaking with reporters.
When questioned about it she replied, according to a National Journal reporter, “I haven’t made that decision. I haven’t released anything.”
“We put out the statement,” a staffer advised.
“You put out the statement?” Feinstein replied. “I should have known they put it out.”
Feinstein on her retirement: “I haven’t made that decision. I haven’t released anything.”
Staffer: “We put out the statement.”
Feinstein: “You put out the statement? I didn’t know they put it out.”
— Savannah Behrmann (@SavBehrmannDC) February 14, 2023
Raw Story reports that she was also blissfully unaware of her retirement in an interview they conducted with her an hour afterward.
“Oh, no, I’m not announcing anything. I will one day,” she told the outlet.
Feinstein willbe 91 years old in 2024.
RELATED: Senator Marsha Blackburn Calls For ‘Term Limits For Bureaucrats’
Should She Retire Now?
While it is certainly possible her staff didn’t update her on the retirement statement being published before speaking with reporters, Dianne Feinstein has long been a good example for those arguing in favor of congressional term limits.
The San Francisco Chronicle this past April reported that her Senate colleagues anonymously blasted her as not being mentally competent enough to do her job as a lawmaker.
Retiring in 2024 means she will be in office for another two full years. Two years and her own colleagues thought she was unfit almost a year ago!
San Francisco Chronicle: Colleagues worry Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve, citing recent interactions
One lawmaker “had to reintroduce themselves to Feinstein multiple times during an interaction that lasted several hours,” per report. https://t.co/SQpTF8YXgF
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 14, 2022
Feinstein, according to a report by the New Yorker in 2020, had been “seriously struggling” with cognitive decline back then.
The report outlined how she “often forgets she has been briefed on a topic, accusing her staff of failing to do so just after they have.”
Here she is repeating the same question at a Congressional hearing twice, word-for-word.
In the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, Feinstein praised China as a “respectable nation” and said allowing Americans to sue the communist nation over the coronavirus would be a “huge mistake.”
Why? Because they’ve lifted “millions of people out of poverty.”
According to Senator Dianne Feinstein, China is “a country growing into a respectable nation,” and holding them accountable for unleashing a global pandemic would be a “huge mistake.”
According to us, Communist China is the new Evil Empire. pic.twitter.com/NUdvO4Lj5f
— YAF (@yaf) July 31, 2020
Representatives Adam Schiff and Katie Porter have announced they will be running for Feinstein’s seat in 2024.
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