Feinstein calls ‘lock her up’ chants a ‘technique of division’

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she was “surprised” that President Trump singled her out during a rally in Iowa but called it part of his “technique of division.”

“It’s part of a technique of division rather than uniting people in this great country,” Feinstein said on Wednesday when asked about the “lock her up” chants at Trump’s rally.

She added that she was “surprised” that Trump “singled me out for a personal letter I received. This wasn’t anything that was covert or classified.”

Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has come under fire from Republicans for her handling of the letter she received from Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a high school party in the early 1980s.

Republicans have criticized Feinstein on two fronts: first, for waiting weeks to hand the letter over to the FBI. Feinstein says she was trying to honor Ford’s request for privacy.

And second, for the Ford letter being leaked, something both Feinstein has said neither she nor her staff were responsible for.

But Trump ratcheted up the criticism on Tuesday, appearing to encourage his supporters after they began chanting “lock her up” about Feinstein.

“‘Did you leak the documents?'” he added, portraying an exaggerated denial from Feinstein.

The crowd broke into chants of “lock her up,” prompting laughter from Trump.

“I think they’re talking about Feinstein,” Trump said.

But Republican senators have been reluctant to echo Trump’s tactics.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sidestepped the issue during an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, which was streamed live on Facebook.

“The president is responsible for his statements. I’m responsible for mine. It’s not something that I would say,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), McConnell’s No. 2.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), asked about the chant, initially said “oh, gosh,” before adding that it wasn’t “his style.”