Adelita Grijalva Takes Oath as Congress’s Newest Member, Clearing Path for Vote on Epstein Files.
Her swearing-in ends weeks of delay and provides the decisive signature to advance a long-stalled measure demanding the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s records.
WASHINGTON (TWP) — Democrat Adelita Grijalva was officially sworn in on Wednesday as the newest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, more than seven weeks after winning a special election in Arizona to complete the term of her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) administered the oath shortly before the chamber reconvened to vote on a federal funding package. Moments after taking the oath, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to advance legislation requiring the release of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, becoming the crucial 218th signature needed to force a future vote on the matter.
Her arrival narrows the House balance to a 219–214 Republican majority, underscoring the tight control the GOP holds in the lower chamber. Grijalva pledged to honor her father’s progressive legacy, continuing his advocacy for environmental protection, labor rights, and tribal sovereignty.
In her first address on the House floor, Grijalva called on Congress to reclaim its oversight role and restore “a full check and balance to this administration.”
“We can and must do better,” she said. “What concerns me most is not what this administration has done, but what the majority in this body has failed to do.”
End of a Prolonged Delay
Grijalva’s seating concludes weeks of delay that Democrats claimed were politically motivated to block her from adding her name to the Epstein petition. Johnson had refused to swear her in while the House was out of session, prompting criticism from Democrats, a lawsuit from Arizona’s attorney general, and speculation that the Speaker was intentionally stalling to prevent the petition from advancing.
Grijalva said she always planned to sign the measure sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has sought to compel the Justice Department to release Epstein-related records. With her signature, the petition now meets the threshold of 218 — the minimum required to force consideration of the bill.
Three Republican members — Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) have also signed on. According to a person familiar with the matter, former President Donald Trump has personally reached out to Boebert and Mace to discuss the petition, though the source was not authorized to speak publicly.
A Busy First Day in Congress
Grijalva’s swearing-in comes amid a hectic return to Capitol Hill as lawmakers reconvene following a partial government shutdown that disrupted travel for many. Traditionally, members elected in special elections take their oath as soon as possible, even when Congress is not in session. But Johnson declined to seat Grijalva until the full chamber returned — a decision Democrats denounced as inconsistent, noting he had previously sworn in two Republicans under similar circumstances.
“I don’t think he viewed what he was doing as personal,” Grijalva told the Associated Press. “It feels personal because my name was attached. But I know if I were a Republican, I’d have been sworn in seven weeks ago.”
The Arizona Democrat described the moment as surreal after the weeks-long delay. Her first vote will be on a Senate-approved government funding bill, which most Democrats are expected to oppose due to its failure to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at year’s end. Despite opposition, Republicans are expected to pass the measure with their slim majority.
The Critical Epstein Petition
Grijalva’s signature provides the final boost for the Epstein records bill, which would require the Justice Department to disclose all unclassified documents and communications connected to the late financier’s sex trafficking operation. Still, under House procedural rules, her action does not trigger an immediate vote.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said debate and voting on the Epstein measure are expected to occur in early December.
Meanwhile, new emails released Wednesday by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee could intensify scrutiny. The messages include a 2011 email from Epstein claiming that Trump had “spent hours” at his residence with a trafficking victim, and another in which Epstein said Trump “knew about the girls.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the revelations, accusing Democrats of pushing a “fake narrative” to damage the president.
“The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to smear President Trump,” Leavitt said.
Republicans on the committee echoed her defense, pointing out that the woman mentioned — Virginia Giuffre — had consistently stated that Trump never abused her. Giuffre, who died earlier this year, had been one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers.
Arizona’s First Latina Congresswoman
The late Raúl Grijalva, who served more than two decades in Congress and became one of the chamber’s leading progressives, died in March. His daughter’s election marks a historic milestone: Adelita Grijalva is Arizona’s first Latina member of Congress.
Before entering Congress, she built a long record in local governance, first serving on the Tucson Unified School District Board and later joining the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where she became only the second woman to chair the board.
She won the Sept. 23 special election with ease, representing a heavily Hispanic, solidly Democratic district where her father’s influence runs deep. Democrats hold roughly a two-to-one voter registration advantage over Republicans in the district.
Grijalva said her victory carried deep emotion and mixed feelings.
“I’d rather have my dad than have an office,” she told the AP.
Echoing her father’s priorities, Grijalva listed environmental justice, tribal sovereignty, and public education as top issues she intends to pursue in Congress.
“I know the bar is set very high,” she said. “The expectation is high for what we can achieve now that I’ve finally been sworn in.”
Just because ONE victim maintained a certain someone didn’t hurt her specifically, there were c. 1K others from which to choose, huh? Recall one stated Epstein saying of her, “She’s not for you.” Well, who Was for him?