Feinstein Appears Unaware of Her Own Resignation Announcement

Tuesday before a group of reporters at the Capitol, Democrat California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, stated that she hadn’t made a decision on her future despite announcing just hours before that she would not be seeking reelection in 2024.

Asked by reporters about her announcement to retire, Feinstein responded, “If I haven’t made that decision, I haven’t released anything.” A staffer then told the senator that a statement had been released. Feinstein then said, “I didn’t know they put it out.”

“Feinstein on her retirement: ‘I haven’t made that decision. I haven’t released anything.’ Staffer: ‘We put out the statement.’ Feinstein: ‘You put out the statement? I didn’t know they put it out,'” another reporter wrote on Twitter.

According to another report from Raw Story, which included an audio clip of Feinstein speaking to a reporter, she wasn’t aware that she was retiring at all.

“Oh, no, I’m not announcing anything. I will one day,” Feinstein told the outlet in an interview only an hour after her retirement was announced.

This isn’t the first instance in which Feinstein’s memory and cognitive abilities have been questioned. Last year, a number of her Senate colleagues anonymously expressed concern that her memory was fading and that she no longer had the ability to serve.