Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has been a target of Democrats for months. Many have called for her to resign due to her old age and health issues that have caused her to be absentee from the Senate.
Though the intensity of the battering has subsided some due to Trump’s legal woes and the emerging Biden bribery scandal, the feeling on the Hill remains the same: she’s too old and clogging up critical judicial nominations. Now, there’s been a new development in her health saga, and it’s got legal ramifications.
Dealing with a slew of health issues, the aging Democrat has ceded power of attorney to her daughter. While not related specifically to her health condition, it’s somewhat connected: there’s a nasty legal fight brewing among this family over the inheritance of Feinstein’s late husband (via NYT):
For years, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has been engaged in a long and painful public drama about her health and ability to do her job, as she winds down a storied career as a lawmaker and a former mayor of San Francisco.
Now, Senator Feinstein is also navigating an increasingly bitter legal and financial conflict that pits her and her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, against the three daughters of her late husband Richard C. Blum, who was a wealthy financier.
In one legal dispute, the family is fighting over what’s described as Senator Feinstein’s desire to sell a beach house in an exclusive neighborhood in Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco. In another disagreement, the two factions are at odds over access to the proceeds of Mr. Blum’s life insurance, which Senator Feinstein says she needs to pay for her growing medical expenses.
For those close to Senator Feinstein, the struggle over Mr. Blum’s estate has exacerbated a recent and regrettable chapter that has marred the twilight of a long and successful public life and that has raised concerns about her ability to manage her own affairs.
[…]
Katherine Feinstein, 66, Senator Feinstein’s only child, who has power of attorney over her mother’s legal affairs, filed two lawsuits against Senator Feinstein’s co-trustees. The first lawsuit, over the beach house, says the property is in disrepair, that Senator Feinstein no longer wishes to use it, and that she wants to sell it this summer or fall.
Old or young, rich people fighting over inheritances is often nasty and mentally draining. Feinstein's mental health has also been on a precipitous decline. This legal fight doesn't help on that front. There’s a joke on the Hill about California, where staffers say the Golden State has a junior senator in Alex Padilla and an experienced staff with Ms. Feinstein. Her staff has mostly kept the ship afloat and on course, but there’s been cracks recently.
Last November, Feinstein was unaware that she already bowed out of the Senate pro tempore position, which she is entitled to due to the traditions of the upper chamber. Confused over the timeline, her staff quickly reminded her she had declined the position. Then, last July, she devolved into an incoherent mess at a committee meeting, where her colleague, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), is caught on the hot mic telling the aging Democrat to vote ‘aye.’
She’s already been out for quite some time at the start of the new term, recovering from a shingles infection and dealing with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication that’s left her with partial facial paralysis and impaired motor function. And yet, her side of the aisle wants her gone to fill these judicial vacancies, outlining a case for her removal that could easily be applied to Joe Biden, who is also too old, weak, and beyond mentally impaired. Is it sexist? Probably, but this is Democratic Party-endorsed sexism, so it’s okay.
At any rate, while not a direct connection to the power of attorney move, I can see why, in this case, she would want her daughter to handle this nonsense—still not a good look, but understandable.