Khanna denies double-standard on Feinstein, Fetterman absences in Senate

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) on Sunday rejected claims of a double-standard, saying the absence of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) varies greatly from that of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who Khanna says should resign from the upper chamber.

“Well, only in Washington would [you] get criticized for saying something so obvious,” Khanna told Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “I have a lot of respect for Sen. Feinstein, but she’s missed 75 percent of votes this year. She hasn’t been showing up and she has no intention. We don’t know if she’s even going to show up. She has no return date.”

“In contrast, Sen. Fetterman has said that he’s going to show back up on April 17th,” Khanna added.

Khanna and Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) both called on Feinstein to step down from her position last week due to her absence in the upper chamber due to her health issues. Feinstein, 89, announced she was hospitalized for shingles last month and has not revealed a timeline for her return to the Senate.

The calls for Feinstein’s resignation sparked some criticism among some Democrats who decried the calls for her to step down, pointing to male senators who have also taken leaves of absence.

“I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,” former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said last week.

Fetterman was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last month after being treated for depression for six weeks, and plans to return to the Senate on Monday. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also took a five-week long absence after suffering a concussion at a private dinner in early March, but plans to also return Monday.

“So, it’s one thing to take medical leave and come back,” Khanna said on Sunday. “It’s another thing where you’re just not doing the job.”

Khanna doubled down on his calls for the California senator’s resignation, saying that she needs to “show up” to do her job.

“The reality here is there’s the sense, well, you need to have a deference to these senators who have served so long,” he said. “How about a deference to the American people? How about an expectation that if you sign up to do one of these jobs, you show up?”

Feinstein asked the Senate to appoint a temporary replacement for her on the Judiciary Committee amid the calls for her resignation. The senator also announced earlier this year that she will not be seeking reelection.