Rep. Hageman to Newsmax: Dems Don't Care About Senators' Capabilities

Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., told Newsmax Friday that Democrats do not care if their members in the Senate can perform their duties, if they vote the way they want them to vote.

"I think what you're seeing is that the Democrats don't necessarily care whether the person is capable of making the very serious decisions that our political and elected officials should be able to make," Hageman said during "American Agenda." "The only thing that they care about is whether they can prop them up enough to vote for a Democrat on it — whether it's a judiciary [nomination] or a bill, or a Democrat policy."

Hageman said that recent questions arising from the apparent physical struggles faced by Democratic Sens. Diane Feinstein of California and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania are concerning given the "very serious" problems the nation is facing, including international challenges from China and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

"All of these things are happening, and we want to have the very best people in positions of power," she said. "Elected officials who are capable of making good, sound, solid policy decisions for this country."

Feinstein, 89, returned to the Senate last week after an absence of almost two months, during which she was recovering from shingles. The shingles spread to her face and neck, resulting in a condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome that includes facial paralysis and vision and balance impairments, The New York Times reported. She also had encephalitis.

According to the report, Feinstein arrived in Washington May 9 in a wheelchair, looking "shockingly diminished."

In a statement from her office May 10, Feinstein said, "I have returned to Washington and am prepared to resume my duties in the Senate. I'm grateful for all the well-wishes over the past couple of months and for the excellent care that I received from my medical team in San Francisco."

She said that while she was going back to the Senate to deal with the "many important issues," including the debt ceiling fight, she is "still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus."

"My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. I'm hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover," she said.

In addition to Feinstein, Fetterman has returned to work after a stay of almost two months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was treated for clinical depression and continuing his recovery from a stroke before the Democratic Senate primary last year, the Washington Examiner reported.

The news outlet reported that Fetterman struggled during his first committee speech since his return and is still facing cognitive challenges.

"For many months, we have been clear and open about the fact that John still faces challenges with auditory processing challenges as a result of his stroke," Joe Calvello, communications director for Fetterman, told the Examiner. "His doctors expect his abilities to improve, but in the meantime, if pathetic losers want to make fun of someone who struggles with speech as the result of a stroke, that's up to them."

Hageman said Friday that Democrats care only about their ability to vote the way their party wants them to.

"The Democrats don't really care just as long as they've got the body there to be able to push the button to vote them away that they need him to vote," she said.