Progressive Media Turns on Dianne Feinstein

Crooked Media co-founder Jon Levett called for Feinstein to resign as her health deteriorates and blamed her for holding up Senate Democrats’ agenda. 

Crooked Media is a progressive media company founded by three former top Obama staffers. 

In its activism-centric “Pod Save America” podcast, Levett said, “There’s been a lot of reporting about Dianne Feinstein no longer being fit to serve in the Senate representing the biggest state in this country. She is currently out for shingles. That is sad. That is obviously not her fault.”

“But because she is not in the Judiciary Committee, Durbin has said that it has made it basically impossible to move a lot of these lower court nominees to the Senate for a vote, which means that Dianne Feinstein, who should not be in the Senate, is now preventing us from being able to confirm judges.”

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has voiced concerns about the complications posed by Feinstein’s absence. 

“I think what the people around Dianne Feinstein are doing, allowing, being part of this farce of having a lack of a senator in such an important job is really wrong,” Lovett went on. “And Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate. She has to resign and more people should be calling on her to resign.”

Feinstein, the oldest US senator at 89, has been out of the Senate since last month when she was hospitalized with shingles. She said at the time she hopes to return to Washington “as soon as possible”. 

Her illness combined with Senator John Fetterman’s (D-PA) hospitalization for depression has left the Senate operating with a 49-49 split.

“We hope to be back to full strength right after Easter and to get back down to business,” Durbin told The Hill earlier this month.

Feinstein said she would not seek a sixth term in office in light of her health problems and age.

Representatives Katie Porter (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) both announced they would run to fill her seat in 2024.