'What is She Doing Here?' Dianne Feinstein, 89, Forgot the Role of Vice-President Kamala Harris in the Senate as New Details of Democrat's Sad Decline Emerge
When Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the chamber last year during one of many instances where she had to make a tiebreaking vote, Dianne Feinstein would ask her colleagues, "What is she doing here?" RadarOnline.com has learned.
Dianne Feinstein, 90
The 89-year-old California Democrat's declining health and rumors of dementia have left several colleagues worried about whether she can serve her senatorial duties.
Two staffers had to help the elderly Senator to her chair on the Senate floor as she was met with a round of applause, but as she began to speak, she struggled to read from a piece of paper handed to her by one of her own aids seated behind her.
"I ask to be recorded as voting in person on the three nominees considered earlier, Mr. Chairman, and I vote aye now," she told the floor.
The same aid had to kneel beside the Senator in between the votes as she whispered into her ear. This has become a typical scene since Feinstein's return to Capitol Hill after taking several weeks off medical leave to deal with her shingles diagnosis.
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The roles of her aids have come under scrutiny in recent weeks as several elected officials from both sides of the aisle have become increasingly concerned about her refusal to relinquish her position.
Many of her own constituents have come out to say that she is "incapable" of serving her post without the "heavy and constant reliance of others."
To protect Feinstein and ensure she is never alone, the Capitol Police and the Senate Sargeant-at-arms have personally gone to great lengths to keep her away from photographers and reporters.
The press has been asked to keep a respectful distance from the senator while staff members try to shield her from the public.
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The New York Times reported that Feinstein contracted encephalitis from shingles and did not disclose details of her medical condition. The senator denied the story and told a CNN reporter that she had merely suffered from a "bad flu."
Her spokesman Adam Russell later corrected the statement and confirmed Feinstein had indeed suffered encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which can cause a number of physical issues, including facial paralysis.
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