Expel DiFi

Expel Dianne Feinstein from the Senate



There are breaches of trust and ethics so serious that they warrant the highest and most severe possible penalty. We rarely see such penalties applied, not necessarily because they are not justified but more likely because humans have a natural inclination to avoid being harsh if there is any reasonable alternative.

One of the prices we pay for such merciful instincts is those inclined to commit ethical abominations believe, not unreasonably, that they can do so with impunity. That brings us to Dianne Feinstein. The question of whether Brett Kavanaugh did the things of which he is now accused can probably never be answered with certainty, although that is not stopping anyone from forming set-in-hard opinions on the matter. But we know without question that, in this very matter, the ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has acted with such reckless disregard for truth and propriety, the Senate would have every right to impose the harshest conceivable sanction as the consequence. When Feinstein came into possession – three months ago, mind you – of Christine Blasey Ford’s letter accusing Judge Kavanaugh, she had an ethical responsibility to do one thing immediately, and that was to inform Committee Chairman Charles Grassley of the letter’s existence and contents. Much of America now views everything in partisan terms, so you might ask why a Democrat would share such sensitive information with a Republican. But this is not how Senate business actually works. On a matter as serious as the confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice, the majority and minority members work closely together and share all pertinent information.

No one is saying Feinstein had to share the letter with all senators, but she had a professional and ethical responsibility to share it with the committee chairman so that the man responsible for the conduct of the hearings was operating in possession of all pertinent information. Feinstein is no junior senator, and she absolutely knows this. She also had a responsibility to turn the letter over to the FBI so it could be included in their standard background check of the nominee. She did not do this. Had Feinstein given the letter to Grassley and/or the FBI, the matter would have been handled in a manner reflecting the sensitivity of the matter, but also the fact that the allegation is extremely old and impossible to corroborate. It would have given Ms. Blasey Ford the chance to have her say, but the matter would have been taken care of without the circus atmosphere we are now seeing. We would not be seeing celebrities and talk show hosts and gossipers weigh in with their hot takes about what went down in 1982 (if that is in fact the year we’re talking about). And a man’s personal reputation would not be under attack while he has no reasonable way to rebut the charges against him. There are reasons a person in Sen. Feinstein’s position is supposed to deal with the letter in the manner I described above, and these are those reasons. But that is not what she did. Instead, she sat on the information for three months, only to see it leaked – either by her or by a member of her staff – to The Intercept just as Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings were concluding and the matter was moving toward a vote that would doubtless have seen him confirmed.

Dianne Feinstein has violated essential ethical and professional rules of the United States Senate Feinstein could not explain why she kept this letter to herself while the hearings unfolded, only to spring it on the world at the absolute last minute. That’s because the explanation is obvious and damning to her: She did it intentionally as a set-up and an ambush against the nominee. And she’s not done. Just yesterday we learned that Grassley has now made multiple requests to Feinstein to provide him with an unredacted copy of the letter, and she is still refusing to give it to him. Dianne Feinstein has violated essential ethical and professional rules of the United States Senate, and done so knowingly and intentionally, for the purpose of besmirching a man’s reputation even though she is well aware there is no evidence supporting the smears against him. She has hidden information from the committee chairman that is essential for the committee’s conduct of business on a matter of great importance to the nation. Even up to this moment, she is still hiding that information, and can offer no defense for her having done so now for three months.





There is no defense for this behavior. It is egregious in the extreme There is no defense for this behavior. It is egregious in the extreme, and all of it was done in a calculated and intentional manner, by a veteran senator who knows the rules well – and knew exactly what she was doing. California voters should send Dianne Feinstein into retirement with the upcoming opportunity they have to do so, but there is no reason her Senate colleagues need to wait for that. Her actions cross lines that can never be crossed. If she is allowed to get away with the things she’s done, no one will ever have a reason to respect the rules of the Senate – let alone the rules of basic ethical behavior – ever again. The Senate should expel Dianne Feinstein from their ranks. Immediately.



Dan Calabrese -- Bio and Archives Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain Follow all of Dan’s work, including his series of Christian spiritual warfare novels, by liking his page on Facebook.

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