“There’s nothing to it,” Feinstein told CNN on Tuesday about Democratic governor’s remarks. “No,” she said when asked if she would retire before the end of her six-year term, which is set to expire at the end of 2024. “I have not discussed that with anybody, nobody has asked me any questions about it.”
“We’re very good friends. I don’t think he meant it the way some people thought,” Feinstein said when asked about the governor’s comments. The senator added, “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”
As she walked into the Senate chamber on Tuesday, Feinstein said “you’ll have to ask him” why Newsom said he already has names in mind to replace her.
Feinstein rejected suggestions she’s not fit to do her job, telling CNN on Tuesday that she feels “absolutely” able to serve fully in her position, adding: “I think that’s pretty obvious.”
Newsom, who is facing a recall campaign, told MSNBC on Monday that he had “multiple names in mind” of Black women he would appoint to replace her until a special election was scheduled.
Prominent Black officials advocated for Newsom to pick either California Rep. Karen Bass, the then-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, or Rep. Barbara Lee. Some social justice groups, including Black Lives Matter, have continued to press Newsom to not pick Rep. Adam Schiff for state attorney general, expecting that Health and Human Services secretary nominee Xavier Becerra will be confirmed.
Newsom said on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday that he has “no expectation” that Feinstein will be “stepping aside,” and said that she is “lucid and focused” and “committed to the cause of fighting not only for our state as a representative and the senior senator of California, but this nation.”
In December, Feinstein defended her service, telling CNN when asked if she feels she’s still able to carry out her duties, “I do. I work hard. I have good staff. I think I am productive. And I represent the people of California as well as I possibly can.”
CNN’s Daniella Diaz and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.