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Staff of Sen. Feinstein, 90, spins humiliating moment she has to be reminded by them how to cast vote

July 28, 2023 | | Print Article

For the second consecutive day, a geriatric lawmaker made headlines when a confused Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) launched into a rambling speech during a vote and had to be steered back on course by an aide and a fellow senator who was caught on a hot mic telling the 90-year-old to “just say aye.”

The sad scene played out on Thursday during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing and when Feinstein was called upon to register her vote on a defense appropriations bill, instead of the standard “aye” or “nay,” the oldest member of Congress began to recite prepared remarks as the unnamed staffer and her colleague Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) tried to nudge her back on track.

(Video: Grabien)

Following the calling of her name and an awkward pause, Feinstein began, “I would like to support a ‘yes’ vote on this. It provides $823 billion that’s an increase of $26 billion for the Department of Defense…. and it funds priorities,” she said, as the aide is seen whispering to the befuddled elder with Murray instructing her to “just say aye” with the embarrassing moment being captured on video.

“Aye!” Feinstein then exclaimed, laughing it off and getting the process moving again, although what Democrats have done to her is anything but a laughing matter.

It has been reported that Feinstein is only a pawn in a Machiavellian game orchestrated by scheming former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, her fellow San Franciscan, who longs for the seat to go to her reptilian protege Adam Schiff.

It was just the latest embarrassing episode for DiFi whose extended cognitive decline has been well documented. Earlier this year, an extended absence after being hospitalized with shingles led to younger members of her own party like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) calling for retirement.

Feinstein’s senior moment comes the day after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered from a sudden brain freeze during a presser at the Capitol, a scary incident that raised concerns about his wellbeing.

The  Kentucky Republican who has hailed Feinstein as a “titanic figure.” has had his own share of health problems, missing an extended period at work after he fell during a private dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C. in March.  NBC News also just reported that the octogenarian McConnell recently took a spill at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Tesla/SpaceX CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk suggested that it may be time for a “constitutional amendment” after McConnell’s freezing up at the podium, presumably for congressional age limits.

“The senator was preoccupied, didn’t realize debate had just ended and a vote was called,” a spokesperson for Feinstein said. “She started to give a statement, was informed it was a vote, and then cast her vote.”

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Chris Donaldson
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