President Joe Biden has long exhibited signs of mental decline, with the latest example coming last week when he called out to a Republican lawmaker who died earlier this year.
However, he is not the only senior member of his party to struggle with cognitive issues, as California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has done too. New details suggest the problem is even worse than many thought.
Confused Feinstein snaps at staffer
According to Business Insider, the 89-year-old Feinstein grew confused and irritable on Thursday when a staff member attempted to prepare her for a routine vote.
“This is a vote on the continuing resolution. Do you have any questions about it?” an aide was quoted as telling the senator just as she was about to board an elevator.
Feinstein reportedly snapped in response that she didn’t “even know what that is.” Her words were said to be loud enough that an Insider correspondent was able to hear them from some distance.
Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner reported in April that questions over the longtime California Democrat’s mental acuity have begun to impact her fundraising.
The paper cited filings with the Federal Election Commission which showed Feinstein had only taken in $176,000 between that point and her 2018 reelection victory.
The Examiner pointed out that California’s Democratic junior Sen. Alex Padilla disputed claims that Feinstein has deteriorated.
Democratic lawmaker says Feinstein is mentally “gone”
Still, the San Francisco Chronicle quoted one Democratic lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity as saying that Feinstein has become far less capable than she was in the past.
“I have worked with her for a long time and long enough to know what she was like just a few years ago,” the politician said.
Feinstein’s colleague went on to describe as having been “always in command, always in charge, on top of the details, basically couldn’t resist a conversation where she was driving some bill or some idea.”
However, the source said that those traits are now “gone,” lamenting, “She was an intellectual and political force not that long ago, and that’s why my encounter with her was so jarring — because there was just no trace of that.”