Diane Feinstein, the Jewish senator from California, announced over the weekend that she does not intend to retire despite claims from her associates who claim she is no longer fit to serve in the position due to her alleged cognitive deterioration, which manifests itself in memory problems of various kinds.
A report in the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday quoted four Feinstein colleagues in the Senate (three of them Democratic senators) and three people who worked under her, as well as a House member, who warned the paper that she had memory problems that prevented her from fulfilling her role as a senator on a regular basis. .
Among other things, she does not recognize people who have worked with her for many years and asks questions that are just a question.
"It's bad, and it's getting worse all the time," one of the senators in the paper was quoted as saying.
In many cases the junior ranks in her office fill her place, thus in fact she is not involved in representing the tens of millions of California residents who chose her to be one of the state's two senators (the second senator, Kamala Harris, was temporarily replaced when she became vice president).
It is unclear what powers passed to the senator's staff and what decisions they make on her behalf without her knowledge, which raises questions as to whether the situation may be contrary to law or Senate procedures, even though in the votes themselves she is participating and apparently aware of her vote.
However, the investigation said that this is not a permanent condition, and that there are days when she is able to function properly.
Feinstein, 88, who was first elected to the Senate some 30 years ago, said over the weekend that she did not believe she was in a state of impunity.
"I remained committed to doing what I said I would do when I was elected to another term in 2018: fight for the people of California," she told CNN, stressing that she may have been too preoccupied in the past year in caring for her ailing husband, who passed away last February.
At the same time, she told The Chronicle that "I am not isolated, I meet people, and my presence is good, and I devote time. We represent a huge country, so I wonder what all the fuss is about."
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