The office of 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, announced her plans for retirement yesterday, capping a 30-year tenure in the Senate and a five-decade career in public service.
But either Feinstein forgot… or she wasn’t told.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Feinstein claimed to be unaware of the announcement.
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Regarding retirement, Feinstein told the reporter, “I haven’t made that decision. I haven’t released anything.”
A staffer interjected, “We put out the statement.”
“You put out the statement?” a confused Feinstein replied. “I didn’t know they put it out.”
Take a look —
Feinstein on her retirement: “I haven’t made that decision. I haven't released anything.”
Staffer: “We put out the statement.”
Feinstein: “You put out the statement? I didn't know they put it out.”
— Savannah Behrmann (@SavBehrmannDC) February 14, 2023
Feinstein attributed her retirement to her husband’s death last year. “Well, my husband has died and that affected the decision-making this week.”
However, she brushed off further questions about retirement.
“It’s not the end of the next year,” Feinstein said dismissively. “It is what it is. I think the time has come. I have a whole other year of things that are underway. I expect to achieve them, I hope. And so we’ll see.”
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One day prior, Feinstein’s office had said in a press release, “I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends.”
Some observers heard Feinstein that she “should have known” about the press release, not that she “didn’t know.”
Take a listen, and decide for yourself —
And for transparency, sharing my audio. From another reporters' angle in the same gaggle, it sounded like "should have": https://t.co/oh9BMOWlhg
— Savannah Behrmann (@SavBehrmannDC) February 14, 2023
Feinstein, the Congress’s oldest sitting member, has long faced her colleagues’ pressure to retire.
In 2018, the California Democratic Party endorsed someone else for Senate, with some delegates complaining Feinstein had been in Washington too long and hadn’t done enough for illegal immigrants.
In 2020, she stirred concerns about her mental acuity by repeatedly asking the same question — in the same way — during a Senate hearing. Later that year, she resigned as the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat after backlash to her softball line of questioning.
Earlier this year, two House Democrats — Adam Schiff and Katie Porter — announced campaigns for Feinstein’s seat.
With Feinstein a now 30-year veteran of the Senate, there hasn’t been a wide open competition for her seat in decades.
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Feinstein worked for the city of San Francisco in the 1960s, before joining its board of supervisors in the 1970s.
In 1978, San Francisco saw the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. After that, the board of supervisors elected Feinstein to fill the mayor’s vacant seat.
Following these assassinations, Feinstein became particularly closely associated with efforts to broaden gun restrictions. Early in her career, the Senate approved her amendment to ban manufacturing and sales of certain types of assault weapons as part of a crime bill that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994.
The ban expired 10 years later and was never replaced, but it remained a trademark issue in a career that was molded by gun violence.
“Through force of will, she led the fight to get the assault weapons ban passed. Like so many who have been touched by gun violence, that victory was personal for her,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I’ve served with more U.S. senators than just about anyone. I can honestly say that Dianne Feinstein is one of the very best.”
Hopefully, Feinstein can remember that nice tribute.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.