Former White House doc calls out Feinstein's 'aye' confusion: Staffers shouldn't be making voting decisions

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Ex-White House doc: We didn't elect staff members to vote as senators

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and Dr. Nicole Saphier join 'Hannity' to react to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's, D-Calif., viral moment.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, who previously served as the White House physician for former Presidents Obama and Trump, criticized the increasing incidences of apparent confusion or cognitive gaffes by aging members of the legislature and executive branch.

Jackson analyzed the recent case of 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., appearing confused during a roll call vote on a national defense bill. When it was her turn to cast a vote, Feinstein hesitated before beginning a speech supporting the bill.

An aide was seen leaning over and instructing her to "just say ‘aye’," in that it was a vote, not a debate at that particular moment.

"Unfortunately, there's not a procedure in place for members of the Senate like there is for the president with the 25th Amendment," Jackson said Thursday.

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., appeared confused Thursday during a routine Senate committee meeting, where she began reading from her prepared remarks instead of saying "aye" during roll call. (Senate Committee on Appropriations)

"It's really up to her family and her colleagues and up to the constituents that she represents… She's 90 years old. She represents 39 million people in the state of California. She's been in the Senate for 30-plus years. And the other day she could not figure out a simple process that they were on the floor doing a roll call vote."

Jackson said that if Feinstein could not discern whether it was time for a roll call vote, then she "has no idea what's actually in that bill… and the pro's and con's for her constituents."

Host Sean Hannity added that Republican senators have told him Feinstein's situation has been noticed for some time but that there has been polite silence out of respect for the senior lawmaker.

"It has to end because we cannot have staff members making decisions for people. They are not the elected officials. They're not the ones that were elected to do this," Jackson said, adding that similar issues have been seen with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and President Biden.

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Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

Fetterman, who suffered a serious stroke on the campaign trail last year, has continued to display symptomatic difficulties while speaking during hearings. He currently chairs a Senate Agriculture Subcommittee.

"It's got to stop. It's going to get us in trouble," Jackson said.

On "Hannity," Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier added that in Feinstein's case, she has ceded her 66-year-old daughter power-of-attorney while remaining in office.

"If the people around her, and if she does not trust herself to handle her own issues, then maybe as we as the American people need to start having that hard conversation: Can she be trusted with making decisions for us, the American people?" Jackson later added.

Feinstein's daughter, Katherine, has been engaged in a legal dispute with her three step-siblings after the senator's husband, Richard Blum, died in 2022, according to the New York Times.

Katherine is the daughter of Feinstein's first husband, the late San Francisco Judge Jack Berman. The senator and then-mayor later married Bertram Feinstein, a neurosurgeon who died in 1978.

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Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House doctor (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty)

Calls for Feinstein's resignation have arisen from inside her own party, where fellow Californian Rep. Ro Khanna called for her to resign, suggesting in May that she "end [her] service with dignity" and allow Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a successor.

Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter, all D-Calif., are vying to succeed Feinstein when her term expires next year.

One Republican who saw questions arise about his health recently was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who appeared to freeze-up during a press conference. McConnell later repeatedly insisted "I'm fine" and said Biden had called to check on him.

"I told him I got sandbagged," McConnell quipped, referencing how Biden tripped over a sandbag while exiting the stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.