via NBCNEWS:
In response to some Democrats calling on her to resign, Feinstein, 89, asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to find a substitute for her on the powerful committee until she can come back.
With Feinstein’s absence, the committee, split 11-10, has delayed advancing more than a dozen of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees for full Senate confirmation.
Replacing Feinstein on the panel, even on a short-term basis, would require approval from the full Senate. Schumer could ask for unanimous consent on a resolution to make that happen, but any one Republican member could object and block it.
In that case, Democrats would have to go through a lengthy process to garner the 60 votes required to break a filibuster — meaning 10 Republicans would have to join the other 50 Democratic members to allow Feinstein’s replacement.
This would be a more exciting story if there was some indication that the GOP had any inclination to really make the Democrats bleed to get their committee change.
THE KNIVES ARE OUT: Feinstein situation getting ugly among Dems.
h/t SG