TAKE 3: Dianne Feinstein says a 'bad cold' kept her from consulting Chuck Grassley over Fusion GPS dump

It was a late Christmas present to liberals Tuesday morning when Sen. Dianne Feinstein unilaterally published on her website the transcript of Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, without first telling committee chair Chuck Grassley.

As Twitchy reported, on Tuesday, Feinstein told reporters she took a cue from Nike and just did it.

Feinstein smiles while stepping into an elevator as reporters ask about her unilaterally publishing Fusion GPS transcript. “I just decided to do it,” she says.

— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) January 9, 2018

That story changed — and changed again — on Wednesday when Feinstein told a CNN reporter she was “pressured” to release the document.

FEINSTEIN says she’s sorry to Grassley for not giving him a headsup about the release of the Fusion GPS transcript. “I meant to tell him, and I didn’t have a chance to tell him, and that concerns me,” she told us. “I just got pressured, and I didn’t do it.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 10, 2018

Wait, no, her office later clarified that she wasn’t pressured to release the transcript. So … why didn’t she at least tell Grassley first?

Feinstein to @MariannaNBCNews RE: releasing the Glenn Simpson transcript: "The one regret I have is that I should have spoke with Senator Grassley before. And I don't make an excuse but I've had a bad cold and maybe that slowed down my mental facilities a little bit."

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) January 10, 2018

Wow. Just wow. "Slowed down my mental facilities." From a sitting senior Senator. Barely a peep from the media. Would they be so silent if an elderly republican Senator said this? Considering their baseless coverage of Trump's mental fitness, it isn't much of a question really. https://t.co/rKqkHRx05I

— Scott Ruesterholz (@Read_N_Learn) January 11, 2018

YOU HAVE GO TO BE F'ING KIDDING ME!!! And Trump is the one with the mental problems??? https://t.co/CXxHreXFlb

— PissedWhiteDude (@PissedWhiteDude) January 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/eddiecarl4468/status/951242257453248512

Don’t let @brianstelter or @CNN get ahold of this news. Wonder if they’ll run with it like they did with @POTUS? https://t.co/dQPcsASAZp

— Jeff Cunningham (@jeffrygc) January 11, 2018

Don’t worry, CNN is ON IT.

Deleting a tweet headline from our show about Feinstein apology to Grassley to rewrite it more precisely — apology was for not telling him ahead of time, NOT for releasing transcript. Thanks

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 11, 2018