A report issued on Thursday offered new light on the severity of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) health issues.
The New York Times reports that Feinstein, 89, has been diagnosed with Ramsay-Hunt syndrome, a form of facial paralysis caused by the spread of shingles to the face and neck. According to these accounts, the senator was diagnosed with encephalitis, which can lead to memory loss, linguistic difficulties, confusion, and mood disturbances due to brain swelling.
According to CNN’s Manu Raju, when asked about her ailment, Feinstein insisted that it “really has never been diagnosed.” “It was a really bad flu,” she reportedly added. “Thank you; I’m feeling better now.”
Later, the reporter said that Feinstein’s office had determined she has Ramsay-Hunt syndrome and encephalitis.
The senator has previously mentioned that her shingles diagnosis was complicated in many ways. “Those complications included Ramsay-Hunt syndrome and encephalitis, as discussed in the New York Times article,” a Feinstein representative said. Even though she was released from the hospital in March after her encephalitis cleared up, she is still dealing with symptoms related to Ramsey-Hunt syndrome.
In early March, Feinstein shared that she had been diagnosed with shingles and would be taking some time off to recover. The senator returned to Capitol Hill last week in a wheelchair and claimed her doctors advised her to work a “lighter schedule” as she recovered.
Feinstein is the oldest senator, and in recent years, some of her peers have expressed doubts about her continued mental capacity to serve.
While Feinstein was absent, Feinstein’s vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee was needed to overcome Republican resistance and confirm some of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations. Democratic lawmakers, including New York’s own Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been calling for Feinstein to step down.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), as reported by CNN’s Raju on Thursday, claimed ignorance of Feinstein’s encephalitis diagnosis. You can see the effects on her right eye. Something quite similar happened to my mom. Durbin chimed in, “It’s really painful,” describing the event.
People who are close to Feinstein characterized witnessing her continued service in the Senate in her current state as “frightening,” according to a report in The New York Times. After being asked by a reporter when she planned to return to Capitol Hill, Feinstein was apparently unable to remember her extended absence.
In February, Feinstein said she would not run again in 2024. Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee, all high-profile Democrats in the House, have declared their intentions to run against Feinstein for her Senate seat.
Some have speculated that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) eldest daughter, Nancy Corinne Prowda, accompanied Feinstein to the Capitol on Thursday, sparking suspicions that it was all part of an effort to help Schiff, whom Pelosi has endorsed. A representative for Pelosi shot down the rumor, telling Fox News that Corinne and Feinstein “have been friends for decades” and that Corinne has been helping the senator get better after she was diagnosed with shingles.