hopefully, we'll get some more
answers for that family soon.
Fill Shuman. Thank you. Big
A bombshell story in the San
Francisco Chronicle is
questioning whether California
Senator Dianne Feinstein is
still mentally fit to serve. The
Democratic center Knitters. Who
say her memory is so bad and she
sometimes forgets people and
conversations. The story is co
authored by Joe Gary Foley and
our Guests. Talk Open Welcome
the show for the first time.
Thanks so much for having me
This is not an easy story to
report. What are the key
takeaways you had from some of
those difficult conversations?
Yeah I think difficult
conversations is a great way to
put it. I spoke with four
whom were Democrats, a
California Democratic member of
Congress and three former
staffers. Four Senator Feinstein
and throughout those
anecdotes and observations
really conveyed at a real
concern about her ability to
really perform the job. She is
expected to do as one of two
senators for nearly 40 million
people of California You know,
the California Democratic member
of Congress. I spoke with. Uh I
had a husband in February had an
interaction with her. That took
place over several hours. Where
not only did they not have the
sort of rigorous, detailed
policy discussion that they were
accustomed to having with
Senator Feinstein and they had
they had had over you no more
than a decade over the years.
Not only did that not transpire
, but this lawmaker found
themselves introducing
themselves to Senator Feinstein
but multiple times throughout
the Converse. Station when she
would forget portions of the
conversation that they had
already had and You know these?
These lapses in memory were not
consistent. They were not all
the time. There's sort of a mix
of days. You know, sharper days
and days where she's having
trouble recognizing people she
knows according to them, And so
that makes it all the more
difficult to sort of pinpoint
because it kind of ebbs and
flows, But it's definitely there
. According to these really up
frankly I've been hearing the
same thing for years that there
are good days and bad days and
her staff doesn't know when the
good days are going to be. And
for part of that reason, maybe
why she has not done an
interview with us. She has not
done an interview on camera with
us for over four years, she's
turned down every request is the
only statewide official who has
not appeared on this show. She
did not grant an interview
request to you and Joe. She did
send you this statement. We
wanna put it up on the screen.
There is no question I'm still
people of California, and I'll
put my Record up. Against
anyone's her longtime friend
Nancy Pelosi, The speaker of the
House sent you this statement
saying, It's quote
unconscionable that just weeks
after losing her beloved husband
of more than four decades and
after decades of outstanding
leadership to our city and state
, she's being subjected to these
beneath the dignity in which she
has led. And the esteem in which
she is held all of the
statements on the record where
support of her. It's a very
different story clearly when
people speak to you privately,
now that this warrant is out,
what are people saying to you
We haven't seen almost anything
from from, you know, elected
officials in California. I'm
certainly you know, I've seen
academics and consultant types
of weather. You know, there
should be a fresh look at
whether there should be term
limits for federal office
because the truth is her term
And there really is almost no
nothing that can be done.
There's technically something
but it's almost never used and
traders from the Senate, which
this is not that circumstances,
There's really nothing that can
be done. Even if voters feel
that she's she's no longer able
to serve them unless she decides
to step aside. Have you gotten
the sense that she is anywhere
close to stepping aside? You
know, we have not gotten that
sense. There's no indication and
you know, in our reporting,
there's this sense of sort of in
addition to the pain and the
sadness because all of these
people Deeply respect Senator
Feinstein and Revere her. I
mean, these are not people who
take what they were telling me
lightly. I mean, these were
painful conversations for them
to have. That's how Grave The
situation has become, so it's
very hard for anyone to convince
her that now is not the time for
her to be serving. That's what
my reporting show. Well. If she
did actually step down, it would
be up to California Governor
Gavin Newsom to pick her
replacement. He already picked
Kamala Harris replacement he's
picked. The attorney general has
picked the secretary of state in
California. In March of last
year. Joy Reid asked Newsome
about that possibility. Here's
what he said on MSNBC, if, in
fact, Dianne Feinstein were to
retire, Will you nominate an
African American woman to
restore the seat that Kamala
United States Senate? And do you
have a name in mind? I have
multiple names and mine. We have
multiple names in mind. And the
heard After that the team.
Feinstein was not happy with the
governor for making that comment
. But all this does lead to a
conversation about potential
as a potential frontrunner?
Would it be Congresswoman
Barbara Lee? She's certainly in
the mix. I think you you would
have to include her on the list
. You know, there's Holly
Mitchell. There's Karen Bass. I
mean, there's London breed.
There's all kinds of really
aspiring up and coming
California. Politicians and it's
not just you know the people on
the list. There's a long line.
Of very enterprising California
politicians who have been
statewide office. I have a very
hard time believing that even if
he did appoint someone to the
seat that there weren't wouldn't
be a long line of folks who
wanted to challenge them for it,
because you know, Senator
Feinstein has held the seat for
30 years. There are a lot of
folks who have had their eye on
it for a long time, and we could
see a very contested election.
are for it. I think about people
like Adam Schiff for Katie
Porter. I mean, there's a long
list. List of people that have
been wanting to do this open.
her work in the San Francisco
Chronicle. We appreciate your
reporting. We appreciate you
joining us. Thanks so much for
having me and we appreciate your