- Dianne Feinstein once mistook two different Black senators, according to a story relayed in a new book.
- She confused GOP Sen. Tim Scott for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, saying she'd been rooting for him.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is said to have once confused Republican Sen. Tim Scott for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock — two Black senators from different political parties.
That's according to an excerpt from Washington Post reporter Ben Terris' forthcoming book, The Big Break, published in POLITICO on Thursday, as well as a person with direct knowledge of the interaction who spoke with Insider on Thursday.
According to a congressional staffer who spoke with Terris, the aging senator stuck her hand out at the South Carolina Republican, telling him she had been rooting for him and was happy to see him in the Senate.
In January 2021, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock won a high-profile special election victory in Georgia against then-Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, handing Democrats control of the Senate and enabling incoming President Joe Biden to pursue a far more ambitious domestic agenda.
Scott, a Republican who's served in the Senate since 2013, is said to have played along with Feinstein's apparent confusion.
"Thank you so much," he reportedly told Feinstein. "Your support means a lot."
A person with direct knowledge of the interaction told Insider that it happened on the way to a vote on the Senate floor at some point between January and November of 2021.
The person also said the interaction was witnessed by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who appeared to recognize in the moment that Feinstein had confused Scott for Warnock, and noted aloud that Scott had been serving in the Senate for some time.
Through spokespeople, Scott and Menendez declined to comment. Feinstein's office did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
The interaction underscores longstanding concerns about the 89-year old senator's health and cognitive abilities.
In December, Insider asked Feinstein why she had decided against seeking the position of president pro-tempore of the Senate, a role that typically goes to the longest-serving senator from the majority party.
Feinstein appeared unaware that her office had already issued a statement on the matter, prompting an aide to intervene.
"Okay, well then, I guess it's out," Feinstein said at the time.
The California Democrat later announced in February that she would not seek re-election in 2024. There are now several Democrats running to succeed her, including Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee.
But shortly following her retirement announcement, Feinstein developed a shingles infection, prompting a nearly 3-month-long absence from Washington due to health complications.
That created a deadlock on the Senate Judiciary Committee and made it difficult for the party to advance nominees that lacked Republican support.
As a result, several House Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, called for Feinstein to resign, with some openly arguing that Feinstein was no longer fit to serve in the Senate.
—Rep. Dean Phillips (@RepDeanPhillips) April 12, 2023
But on Wednesday, Feinstein finally returned to the Capitol, continuing to suffer balance and vision impairments. If she does not resign, Feinstein is set to continue serving for more than a year and a half until her term ends in January 2025.