U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has some serious questions about California Governor Gavin Newsom’s pick to fill the seat of recently deceased Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Newsom wasted little time to replace the 90-year-old Democrat who passed away last week, tabbing a black lesbian activist who doesn’t appear to even live in the state that she will represent for the rest of DiFi’s current term.
The California Republican had concerns about the constitutionality of Newsom’s appointment of Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY’s List, a left-wing organization that’s dedicated to the election of pro-abortion Democrats.
If Gavin Newsom wants to appoint a Senator from California, maybe he could have made sure to find one who lives in California?
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) October 2, 2023
In a letter to Newsom, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Issa wants answers on the choice of Butler whose home address is in Silver Spring, Maryland.
“We’re not talking about the question of majority, we’re talking about 38 million Californians who have an absolute right to have somebody who puts California first – not who puts the District of Columbia first or Maryland, where she’s a resident, first,” the congressman told Fox News Digital on Monday.
“It’s not that he couldn’t find somebody,” Issa said, telling the outlet that he expects to have several co-signers for his letter. “Instead, [Newsom] chose the most progressive African American woman he could find, seemingly for political purposes.”
So many Californians have left the state during Gavin Newsom’s time in office, he had to go to Maryland to find our next Senator.
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) October 2, 2023
“The quid pro quo of agreeing to pay your California taxes in return for becoming a senator is not an acceptable bargain,” Issa added. “That’s a privilege the rest of us don’t get.”
Newsom bristled when asked about going out of state for his placeholder pick.
“How do you respond to criticism over [appointing a resident of Maryland to represent California in the U.S. Senate]?”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom: “I guess the response was in the announcement” pic.twitter.com/xB3nSpFWSg
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 2, 2023
The governor’s office explained to Fox News Digital that the new senator moved to the D.C. suburbs when she took the job as president of EMILY’s List in 2021 and she has a house in California where she will re-register to vote before she takes her oath of office.
“According to California law, to be eligible for a Senate bid, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of California, and a registered voter in the state,” Fox News noted.
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Sen. Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the pick. “Laphonza has spent her entire career fighting for women and girls and has been a fierce advocate for working people.”
“She will make history — becoming the first Black lesbian to openly serve in the U.S. Senate,” he added.
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