Pelosi Daughter’s Connection to Feinstein Raises Questions

The caretaker for Senator Diana Feinstein, D-Calif., is the daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., raising questions about Pelosi’s level of control over the aging senator, Politico reported Thursday.

Nancy Carinne Prowda, Pelosi’s oldest daughter, has been a near-constant presence at the 89-year-old Feinstein’s side since Feinstein returned to the Senate after a three-month convalescence due to shingles. 

Though many have questioned Feinstein’s mental acuity and fitness for the Senate – especially after seemingly forgetting that she hadn’t been in Washington, DC the last three months – Pelosi has been a staunch defender of Feinstein.

Feinstein was elected for what she has said will be her final term in 2018, and Pelosi has endorsed protégé Rep. Adam Schiff to be her successor. Should Feinstein leave the Senate before her six-year term is complete, California Gov. Gavin Newsom would be able to appoint a replacement to finish her term.

Newsom has promised to appoint a Black woman to replace Feinstein if he is given the chance, a move political insiders say would make Schiff’s election to the Senate much more difficult. While Schiff currently has a $15 million fundraising advantage, sources close to Pelosi told Politico there are concerns that Schiff’s advantage would disappear if instead of running for an open seat he had to face an incumbent.

Pelosi spokesman Aaron Bennett told Politico that his boss was not trying to influence Feinstein to finish her term.

“Anyone who knows Senator Feinstein knows that her service in the Senate is entirely her own decision, and Speaker Emerita Pelosi would never suggest otherwise,” he said.