Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is “hurting” after the 2016 campaign because of the “name-calling,” and “e-mail intrusion,” she endured.

Feinstein said, “We had a quiet dinner, just the two of us in my hideaway. I am extraordinarily fond of this woman. I think it is fair to say she’s hurting. She is brave. She is a real professional in the sense of her values, her care, her concern. I think all of us know who watched that campaign, it was a very hard campaign for her.”

“The name-calling, the email intrusion, the misinterpretation of what she had done with the emails, 11 hours in front of a committee while she was a candidate, and she stood up to it all,” she added. “So I think she has a spine of steel. I think she’s going to come through this fine. But I think this is really a tough time for a wonderful human being.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN