Former Secretary of State and two-time failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in an interview published this week that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, should not resign from her position amid calls from members of her party to step down.
Clinton remarked in an interview with TIME published on Tuesday.
“Here’s the dilemma: The Republicans will not agree to add someone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retires,” Clinton said in the interview. “I want you to think about how crummy that is. I don’t know in her heart about whether she really would or wouldn’t, but right now, she can’t. Because if we’re going to get judges confirmed, which is one of the most important continuing obligations that we have, then we cannot afford to have her seat vacant.”
“If Republicans were to say and do the decent thing and say, well this woman was gravely ill, she had just lost her husband to cancer… of course we will let you fill this position if she retires. But they won’t say that,” Clinton continued. “So what are we supposed to do? All these people pushing her to retire: fine, we get no more judges? I don’t think that’s a good tradeoff.”
Clinton added that “she has suffered greatly from the bout of shingles and encephalitis” and that “she has been a remarkable and effective leader.”
Matt reported last week how Feinstein “suffered more health complications than initially reported” and that many around her describe her condition as “frightening.”
In recent weeks, members of her party, such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), called on her to resign because she’s been absent from her position for weeks at a time.
It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 12, 2023
I agree with @RoKhanna. Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet. https://t.co/lvaHhLJYsi
— Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) April 12, 2023
Last month, Townhall covered how former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) alluded that the calls for Feinstein to resign were rooted in sexism.
“Sen. Feinstein has been a champion for California. For 20 years, I have been the leader or the speaker of the House fighting for California, and I have seen up close and firsthand her great leadership for our country but especially for our state of California. She deserves the respect to get well and be back on duty, and it’s interesting to me. I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,” Pelosi said, seemingly alluding to Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s health since he assumed office.