Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was hospitalized on Tuesday after taking a tumble in her San Francisco home, her spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
After TMZ first reported on the health scare, Feinstein’s spokesperson told The Daily Beast that she was “briefly” hospitalized for a “minor” fall. She reportedly tripped over a chair in her kitchen and remained at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center for about an hour or two. “All of her scans were clear and she returned home,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement to NBC News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he checked in with Feinstein on Wednesday morning.
ADVERTISEMENT
“She said she suffered no injuries and briefly went to the hospital as a precaution,” he wrote. “I’m glad she is back home now and is doing well.”
Over the past year, the 90-year-old senator’s health has significantly deteriorated following a hospitalization in February for shingles. During her three-month absence from the Senate, Feinstein missed more than 90 consecutive votes, delaying judicial nominations.
When she returned to the Senate floor in May, Feinstein appeared frailer than ever, with an aide steering her around as she entered the Capitol in a wheelchair. Although the senator has been reluctant to divulge many details of her illness, a report from The New York Times revealed Feinstein suffered severe complications from the shingles, including inflammation of the brain and Ramsay Hunt syndrome—a neurological condition that can paralyze the face.
Some of her Democratic colleagues have called Feinstein’s fitness to serve into question. At a recent vote on a defense appropriations bill, others had to remind her to “just say aye” as she seemed to forget protocol and instead ramble on about her opinion of the bill. Months before, Feinstein reportedly got “feisty” with a journalist, confusingly insisting, “No, I’ve been here” and “I’ve been voting” when she had, in fact, been absent for months.
Recent legal filings from Feinstein’s fight to gain control of her late husband’s estate also showed her daughter holds power of attorney over the senator. A lawyer representing two co-trustees in that case said in a statement to the Times that it was unclear “why a sitting United States senator would require someone to have power of attorney over her.”
“If you’re a member, and you become a shadow of your former self, you should resign,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) previously told Insider. “Once you’re no longer the best person to represent your state, you have a duty to move on.”
Feinstein has announced that she plans to retire at the end of her term in January 2025. A handful of both Democratic and Republican politicians are already vying for her seat.
