Nancy Pelosi (D -Calif) suggested on Wednesday that calls for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign over her health issues are sexist.
“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.
“She deserves the respect to get well and be back on duty,” Pelosi added.
Feinstein, 89, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been away from the Senate dealing with health issues after contracting shingles in February. In her absence, Democrats have been unable to advance some of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees through the committee to receive a full vote on the floor of the Senate.
Two House Democrats, Reps. Ro Khanna (Calif.) and Dean Phillips (Minn.), have called on Feinstein to resign.
“It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign,” Khanna tweeted on Wednesday. “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.”
Phillips tweeted his support of Khanna shortly after, writing: “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.”
Hours after the two Democrats called for her resignation, Feinstein released a statement asking Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to ask the Senate to allow another Democrat to step into her committee positions until she is able to resume her work.
Feinstein had already announced that she would not run for reelection in 2024 .
Democratic California Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee have all declared their candidacies to replace her.
