Sen. Dianne Feinstein suffered additional health complications from her months-long battle with shingles that kept her away from Capitol Hill, raising fresh questions about her ability to continue serving in Congress.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Feinstein, 89, suffered impaired vision and balance as a result of the illness, as well as facial paralysis known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The shingles also reportedly brought on a rare case of encephalitis, which causes the brain to swell and can affect language skills, sleep and mood.
The Times quoted one source close to the senator as calling her current condition “frightening.” The six-term Feinstein (D-Calif.) uses a wheelchair to get around the Capitol and has given confused answers to questions about her absence.
Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election in 2024, but has adamantly refused to consider stepping down, leading some close to her to reportedly joke that she will consider doing so once she’s dead.
“The Senate has critical, challenging work to do, and as the stakes are so high and she is not able to be present, to be informed and active, let alone have the rest she needs in order to recover, I feel she needs to step down,” Democratic donor Susie Tompkins Buell told the Times. “And yet she isn’t willing in this state of mind.”
Meanwhile, the eldest daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Nancy Carinne Prowda, has been photographed functioning as Feinstein’s caretaker in the hallways of Congress — in what some see as a power move by the senator’s fellow San Franciscan.
Pelosi has endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in the hotly contested race to succeed Feinstein. However, if Feinstein were to resign before the end of her term, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged to appoint a black woman to fill the vacancy.
That would seem to clear the way for Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who has also announced a Senate campaign, to take the seat ahead of Election Day 2024.
“If DiFi resigns right now, there is an enormous probability that Barbara Lee gets appointed — thus, it makes it harder for Schiff,” a source close to the Pelosi family told Politico, adding that the Feinstein-Pelosi arrangement is “being kept under wraps and very, very closely held.”
“It’s very tricky, and political, because they want her to stay,” the source also said. “The political thinking is that if DiFi stays as long as possible, it helps Schiff as well.”
A spokesman for Feinstein’s office told The Post: “Nancy Corrine is a dear friend of Senator Feinstein’s going back more than 40 years. She has been spending time with the senator as she continues to recover from shingles.”
Pelosi spokesperson Aaron Bennet said Prowda “has been supporting [Feinstein] in her shingles recovery.”
“Speaker Emerita Pelosi and Senator Feinstein have been friends since long before their service in Congress — and their friendship is personal, not political,” Bennet said. “Anyone who knows Senator Feinstein knows that her service in the Senate is entirely her own decision, and Speaker Emerita Pelosi would never suggest otherwise.”
Feinstein was initially hospitalized in February for her case of shingles, was released in early March, and recovered at her San Francisco home over the next two months before returning to Washington, DC, on May 10.
When asked about her recovery Tuesday, Feinstein insisted she had never left the nation’s capital.
“No, I haven’t been gone,” she told reporters. “You should follow the — I haven’t been gone. I’ve been working.”
Asked for clarification about whether she had been working from home, Feinstein replied, “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting. Please. You either know or don’t know.”
But her absence had scrambled Senate judicial confirmation votes for a little more than two months, requiring her to rush on votes for many nominees upon her return to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Schiff’s campaign reported $24.7 million cash on hand by the end of March this year, dwarfing hauls from challengers including Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Lee, who currently record campaign funds of $9.4 million and $1.2 million, respectively.
"How have they felt about you returning?"
FEINSTEIN: "No, I haven't been gone. You should follow the— I haven't been gone. I've been working."
"Working from home is what you're saying?"
FEINSTEIN: "No, I've been here. I've been voting." pic.twitter.com/kGqH3wjZkA
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 18, 2023