Khanna: Newsom should appoint ‘caretaker’ replacement for Feinstein if she resigns

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said he would be supportive of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointing a “caretaker” replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) after Khanna called for the 89-year-old lawmaker to resign from her position in the Senate last week.

“Gov. Newsom can appoint a caretaker, he doesn’t have to appoint someone in the current race,” Khanna said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I would support the governor doing that. This has nothing to do with the current race, because a caretaker would solve that.”

Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024, signaling the close of a 30-plus year career in the Senate. A group of House Democrats have already started to line up for the seat, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a progressive whom Khanna has already endorsed in the race.

After Khanna became the first sitting Democrat to call for Feinstein to resign, as she continues to recover at home from a shingles diagnosis, some pointed to the move from Khanna as politically motivated, arguing Lee would be one of the prime possibilities to be appointed as Feinstein’s successor.

But Khanna on Sunday pushed back on the suggestion, arguing he wanted someone to be appointed who was not in the current race and could serve in a caretaker capacity.

“This has to do with someone who’s just not showing up,” Khanna said. “I said out loud what people have been saying in private.”

Feinstein’s absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee has been a major point of contention, as without her vote, Democrats have not been able to push through judicial nominees to be confirmed by the full chamber.

Feinstein rejected calls for her to resign last week, but said she was asking for a temporary replacement for her to be appointed to the Judiciary Committee. The move would require support from Republicans, and it remained unclear whether it would garner any GOP support.