Dianne Feinstein, 89, spoke to the wrong Black colleague.

Washington Free Beacon StaffMay 12, 2023

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Mistakes One Black Man for Another

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the 89-year-old California Democrat, made headlines again after reportedly confusing one black man with another. According to a new book excerpted by Politico, Feinstein approached Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, and congratulated him on his Senate service, saying she had been rooting for him. However, Scott and his staffers knew that Feinstein had mistaken him for Raphael Warnock, the newly elected Democratic senator from Georgia, and “played along.”

Criticism of Feinstein’s Racial Politics

The incident, which appears in the book as part of a long section criticizing Feinstein’s racial politics, came one year before the San Francisco Chronicle reported that “colleagues worry Dianne Feinstein is now mentally unfit to serve.” According to the piece, Feinstein repeatedly had “no apparent recognition” she was repeating herself in conversations with colleagues, who “had to reintroduce themselves to Feinstein multiple times during an interaction.”

“It’s bad, and it’s getting worse,” one Democratic senator said of Feinstein’s condition.

Colleagues Call for Resignation

Many of Feinstein’s colleagues, including progressive Reps. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), have called on her to resign, which she has refused to do. Multiple California Democrats are already vying for Feinstein’s seat.

Feinstein announced in February that she will retire after her current term. She then forgot that she had made the announcement.

Feinstein’s Absence and Health Issues

The longtime California senator was absent from Congress for nearly three months, blaming a bout of shingles. She entered the Capitol in a wheelchair, with her hand “visibly trembling” and her eyes bloodshot, the Huffington Post reported. “Where am I going?” she asked as she sat in the wheelchair.

Feinstein’s Racial Issues

The Big Break excerpt is not the first time Feinstein has received criticism for racial issues. The San Francisco Board of Education in 2021 stripped Feinstein’s name from a school because, while Feinstein was San Francisco’s mayor in the 1980s, the city replaced a vandalized Confederate flag.

Conclusion

Feinstein’s recent actions and health issues have raised concerns about her ability to serve in the Senate. Her confusion of one black man for another has added to the criticism of her racial politics. As she approaches retirement, the question remains whether she will step down or continue to serve despite calls for her resignation.