Feinstein says she supports Joe Biden for 2020, and notes that Sen. Kamala Harris is 'brand new here'
WASHINGTON _ California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday that she supports former Vice President Joe Biden in what is likely to be a crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field.
That might make things awkward with Feinstein's fellow Californian, Sen. Kamala Harris, who is also considering a run.
"He has the experience, the drive, he was chairman of (the Senate Judiciary Committee) when I came," to the Senate, Feinstein said Thursday. "I worked with him closely on a number of different things. I have a great respect for his integrity as well as his ability. And I think experience is really important at this particular point, where our world is today."
Feinstein's support for Biden was first reported by Politico on Thursday morning. When asked by the Los Angeles Times about the comments, Feinstein suggested that her long personal history with Biden plays a role in how she feels.
"I was asked who I favor, and right now it's Joe Biden," she said.
Fellow Democrat Harris is also expected to jump into the presidential contest.
When asked whether she would support Harris, Feinstein said, "I'm a big fan of Sen. Harris, and I work with her. But she's brand new here, so it takes a little bit of time to get to know somebody."
Harris was elected to the Senate in 2016. Her office declined to comment Thursday.
_ Los Angeles Times
Mail bomb threats to Trump, ex-presidents lead to guilty plea for California man
SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Kao Xiong apparently had a thing for letter writing, mailing out more than 150 letters since January 2017 to President Donald Trump, former presidents, an FBI agent, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and a number of individuals.
The letters from Xiong, a 34-year-old Oroville man, contained a number of death threats, bomb threats and extortion demands, as well as references to a group he called the 'Unstoppable Force,'" federal court records say.
"Pipe Bomb, Everyone is going to die," one letter sent to DFW offices in Texas read, according to court records.
That letter and dozens of others, some containing white powder later determined to be flour, prompted "expenditure of significant taxpayer dollars" and hazardous materials response by officials trained in handling weapons of mass destruction, according to a criminal complaint filed under seal against Xiong in December 2017.
On Thursday, Xiong appeared in a federal courtroom in Sacramento and pleaded guilty to a single count of using the mail to convey a malicious threat about an explosive device, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.
_ The Sacramento Bee
