Feinstein Grills Baird, Says She Is Undecided on Vote

As Atty. Gen.-designate Zoe Baird launched into a long-winded response during her confirmation hearings Thursday about whether she would fill an estimated 1,000 vacant Border Patrol positions, she was abruptly cut off by Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

“But wait a minute, excuse me,” Feinstein said. “Is your answer ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘I don’t know?’ ”

Baird immediately gave the California Democrat the reply that Feinstein wanted to hear: “Yes.” If approved as attorney general in the Clinton Administration, Baird said, she would be committed to hiring agents for previously approved but unfunded jobs that are needed in California to help stem the nightly flow of several thousand illegal immigrants across the Mexico border.

The exchange is an example of how Feinstein grilled Baird on a wide range of issues in the first questioning ever by a female member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Feinstein’s assertiveness, considered unparalleled for a first-year senator, sent her colleagues a loud message that she intends to be an influential force in the Senate despite her newcomer status.

“She is impressive,” Sen. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.) said of Feinstein during a break in the Baird hearings. “This is a senator trying to get to the root of an issue. It is a trait that will serve her well and is very refreshing to see.”

So far, Feinstein’s offices have received 2,872 calls against Baird’s confirmation and only 208 for it, aides said. Aides to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) reported that 1,487 callers opposed Baird’s confirmation while 151 supported the nominee.

Feinstein said she would like to vote for Baird and confirm a woman as attorney general but that she remains undecided. Boxer is watching the hearings closely and also is reserving judgment, according to an aide.