Pelosi accompanies body of Sen. Dianne Feinstein on flight home to California

A U.S. military plane was flying the body of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., to San Francisco on Saturday, accompanied by the senator’s longtime friend and colleague, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi boarded the flight for the journey home with the senator’s daughter, Katherine Feinstein, and chief of staff James Sauls, said Adam Russell, a spokesperson for Feinstein’s office.

The 90-year-old senator died at her home in Washington late this week.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said Feinstein’s “indomitable, indefatigable leadership made a magnificent difference for our national security and personal safety, the health of our people and our planet, and the strength of our Democracy.”

“Personally, it was a great honor to serve alongside Dianne for decades – from the hilly streets of San Francisco to the hallowed halls of Congress,” the former House speaker said in a written statement. “We were not only colleagues, but neighbors and friends.”

Plans for Feinstein’s memorial and funeral have not been announced.

Feinstein became the first woman to represent California in the U.S. Senate when she was elected in 1992 and served the state longer than any other senator. She served for years on the Judiciary Committee, Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Appropriations Committee.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is soon expected to appoint someone to fill Feinstein’s Senate seat.