HARDBALL: Republicans want to make it difficult for Senate to replace Feinstein on key panel.

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.