Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Dianne Feinstein could be third in line to the presidency as Senate president pro tempore. She appears unaware that she's already declined the job.

Dianne Feinstein could be third in line to the presidency as Senate president pro tempore. She appears unaware that she's already declined the job.

"I guess it's out," the 89-year-old lawmaker told Insider, appearing unaware that her office had already said that she won't seek the position.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California was poised to become president pro tempore of the Senate, according to long-standing Senate tradition.

As a result of her new status as the longest-serving Democratic senator, the 89-year-old lawmaker would have been third in line to the presidency, behind the vice president and House Speaker.

But Feinstein — who will also be the chamber's oldest currently-serving member come January — issued a statement to the Washington Post last month saying that she's not interested in running for and serving as president pro tempore of the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will instead nominate the 72-year-old Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington — the next most senior Democratic senator, having been elected just two months after Feinstein — to the position, a source familiar with the discussions told Insider on Wednesday.

Yet when Feinstein was asked by Insider at the Capitol on Tuesday about the potential of taking on the job — she would be the first woman in American history to hold the position — the California Democrat insisted that she hadn't thought about it.

"Well, I haven't thought about it, but I'll let you know when I do," said Feinstein, who was first elected in 1992. "I just got back, I've had a lot of issues."

An aide walking with the senator quickly interjected, telling Insider that Feinstein had "told a few reporters in the past that she's not thought about it, and has no intention of seeking the position."

"That's what you've told reporters," the aide said to Feinstein.

"I don't know what you're saying," she replied.

"This is about the Senate pro tem position," he said.

"Well, I haven't said anything about it, that I know of," she insisted.

"You were asked about it over the break, and you put out a statement saying that you had no intention of running for it," he said, apparently referencing the statement given to the Post.

"Okay, well then, I guess it's out," she conceded.

Asked by Insider why she doesn't want the position, she pointed to her husband's recent death.

"I just lost my husband a short time ago, I'm putting my life together, and I intend to continue in this position and do as well as I possibly can," she said.

But the lawmaker refused to say she wasn't up to the job.

"I'm just saying I haven't thought about it."

The California Democrat's apparent decision not to seek the position comes amid ongoing questions about her ability to serve given both her age and reports that she is experiencing cognitive decline. Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declined to say whether he had confidence in her ability to serve when asked by Insider.

Feinstein has at times appeared confused when performing routine duties as a legislator.

"I don't even know what that is," an exasperated Feinstein could be heard telling a staffer in the Capitol about a vote on a government funding bill in September.

After facing criticism from fellow liberals for her handling of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing in the fall of 2020, Schumer reportedly had to tell Feinstein on two separate occasions to step down as the top Democrat on the committee, which she agreed to do.

Schumer announced his nomination of Murray — which will be voted on by the Democratic caucus on December 8 — during the party's closed-door Senate caucus lunch on Wednesday, according to the source.

The day before, Insider attempted to ask Murray if she would seek the position at Senate Democrat's weekly Tuesday press conference. But Schumer quickly interjected."Stay tuned," he said.

Insider recently explored America's gerontocracy in the "Red, White, and Gray" project, finding that nearly one in four members of Congress are in their 70s and 80s and that the vast majority of Americans view the increasingly advanced age of politicians as a problem. And staffers for long-serving members have often had to play an outsize role in helping their bosses do the job.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×