The co-hosts of ABC’s "The View" all agreed that 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., needs to step down from office because of her ailing health.
Co-host Sunny Hostin declared that it’s time for the long serving Democratic lawmaker to put "country before herself" by resigning.
Feinstein recently returned to the U.S. Senate after taking several months off to deal with a shingles diagnosis. She returned in a wheelchair and in the last several days has reportedly forgotten that she had been absent, allegedly telling reporters she’s been here the whole time.
The comments come amid a wave of calls from Democratic lawmakers urging Feinstein to resign for the sake of her health and for the sake of having competency in the office.
The senator has made it clear that she has no plans to resign, but has noted she does not plan on running for re-election in 2024.
Hostin opined during Friday’s episode that Feinstein should step down now. The liberal co-host began by mentioning that it’s probably difficult for the senator to leave a job she loves, but she should do it for the sake of the country.
"It’s terrible because she has been such an effective Senator for over what? Six decades? Or six terms rather. I think that it’s very difficult for someone to step away from work that they love. She’s 89-years-old, she said that she’s not going to resign and she did ask the Republican Party – or the Democrats asked the Republican Party to allow her a temporary replacement while she heals. They’ve refused to do that," Hostin said.
FORMER OBAMA SPEECH WRITER CALLS ON DIANNE FEINSTEIN TO RESIGN: ‘SHOULD NOT BE IN THE SENATE'
Hostin then mentioned how it "pained" her to see the condition Feinstein was in upon returning to work, adding, "I think now perhaps – and I would never say this other than because of what we’ve seen and because she has voted three times to confirm three judicial appointees – but I still think that maybe it’s time for her to put the country before herself."
Co-host Sarah Haines agreed, using a music reference to illustrate the point. She said, "The great philosopher Kenny Rodgers once said, ‘You got to know when to fold ‘em, you gotta know when to walk away."
Haines noted Feinstein’s age isn’t the only factor, but her overall health is. She pointed to the health issues of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., saying, "Sen. Fetterman is 53 and he had a condition and people questioned it and I thought that was fair. You have to look at all of it."
Returning to Feinstein, Haines said, "She’s had a bunch of missteps. They say rarely does your spokesperson have to have a direct contradiction from what the person you’re representing says." The co-host mentioned Feinstein forgetting she was gone, and concluded, "This is not about age-ism or sexism, it’s about competence to do your job and some people eventually have to retire."
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed, saying, "I do think it’s time for her to resign." She made sure to praise Feinstein’s "incredible legacy on the left," but noted that the lawmaker has missed "91 floor votes" since she’s been absent, and "already missed two since she’s been back."
Joy Behar, who introduced the discussion, clarified that it wouldn’t matter if Feinstein leaves office anyway, because the only ones vying to replace her are fellow Democrats who will vote for the party’s interests.
