Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein appeared to signal Tuesday that she would not support the removal or expulsion of Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas or Josh Hawley of Missouri for challenging the Electoral College certification, an apparent break with many in her party.
Many other Democrats, such as Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, have called for Hawley and Cruz to resign or to be removed from the Senate. Feinstein remarked that she thought “the Senate is a place of freedom.”
“I think the Senate is a place of freedom, and people come here to speak their peace,” Feinstein told Bloomberg reporter Erik Wasson. Her office has yet to publicly comment. (RELATED: Democrats Savage Feinstein In Cruel New Yorker Piece After She Fails To Destroy Justice Amy Coney Barrett)
Dem @SenFeinstein doesn’t appear on board with punishing @SenTedCruz or @HawleyMO for role in challenging electoral college. “I think the Senate is a place of freedom, and people come here to speak their peace”
— Erik Wasson (@elwasson) January 19, 2021
Her comments sparked backlash on Twitter as prominent Democrats began to call for her to resign or be challenged in her next primary.
Feinstein has faced several waves of criticism from her own party in recent months over moves such as her embrace of Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham following the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Justice Amy Coney Barrett and her hesitancy during the first impeachment attempt in January 2020.