Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., addresses supporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Over three weeks have passed since Adelita Grijalva secured her congressional seat, yet she remains unseated, an outcome she never anticipated.
Although she holds the keys to her Capitol Hill office, essential resources remain out of reach.
“There’s no staff assigned, the phones are dead, and I don’t have a computer or even a government email account,” Grijalva explains from her nearly empty workspace.
This rocky initiation into her role reflects the heightened partisan discord that has come to define the 119th Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has declared he will postpone swearing in Grijalva until the government shutdown concludes.
“This is the House’s standard procedure; we will proceed once normal operations resume,” Johnson stated.
This stance marks a shift for Johnson, who previously administered oaths to new members from both parties promptly after their victories.
Initially, Johnson had promised to swear in the Arizona winner at their convenience but later insisted the formal ceremony, with its traditional “pomp and circumstance,” could only occur when the government is functioning.
Consequently, Johnson faces bipartisan criticism, with accusations that he is deliberately delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in to avoid a House vote that could compel the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Grijalva triumphed in a special election on September 23rd to represent Arizona’s 7th congressional district, which encompasses parts of Tucson near the border.
During her campaign, she pledged to endorse a bipartisan discharge petition aimed at forcing a House vote to make the Epstein investigation documents public. Her signature would be the crucial 218th to trigger this vote, an initiative championed by Representatives Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
“On election night, someone warned me they might not swear me in because of the Epstein files,” Grijalva recalls. “I dismissed it as a conspiracy theory, but here we are.”
Johnson dismisses these allegations as politically motivated fabrications.
He emphasizes that Republicans are actively pursuing the release of relevant records through the GOP-led House Oversight Committee.
“The committee members are tenacious and bipartisan in their efforts to uncover and disclose documents,” Johnson told reporters recently.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters regarding the government shutdown on Capitol Hill.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Grijalva’s backers have expressed outrage over the delay. Democrats have vocally demanded her immediate seating on the House floor, and a group of lawmakers recently marched to Johnson’s office chanting, “Swear her in.”
The postponement has also frustrated advocates eager for a vote on the Epstein files. Senator Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., accused Johnson of “shielding pedophiles” and suggested the Speaker is stalling Grijalva’s oath to prevent her from signing the discharge petition. Johnson rejected these claims as “completely baseless,” accusing Democrats of distraction tactics.
The impasse may soon escalate to legal proceedings. Following the state’s certification of Grijalva’s election, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes warned of potential litigation to compel her swearing-in.
Adelita Grijalva is the daughter of the late Representative Raúl Grijalva, who served the district for over two decades until his passing from lung cancer in March.
She aspires to uphold the high standards her father set with their constituents once she officially takes office.
Reflecting on her ongoing struggle, she becomes emotional. “I think he’d probably be amused, maybe scratching his head at how his daughter is making waves,” she says.
