Why Rep.-Elect Adelita Grijalva Hasn’t Been Sworn In Yet, and Why Democrats Say It’s Political

The Arizona Democrat and allies say it’s related to an attempt to delay the release of files related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona speaks during a press conference outside the Capitol on Wednesday to pressure House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to swear her in. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |

Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona remains unseated three weeks after her decisive victory in the state’s 7th Congressional District, leaving more than 800,000 constituents without representation in the U.S. House. Democrats argue the delay is politically motivated and connected to efforts to release files tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Grijalva, elected on September 23, is caught in a rare congressional stalemate. Party allies suggest the hold-up is designed to prevent her from becoming the final signature on a measure that would force a House vote to release Epstein-related documents.

“Speaker Johnson is protecting pedophiles. That’s what this is all about,” said Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona during a Wednesday news conference with Grijalva, Arizona Democrats, and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Grijalva herself called the delay purely political. “There is no reason other than politics,” she said. “The people of Southern Arizona have voted clearly, yet more than 812,000 people are still denied their voice in Congress. This delay is not procedural. It’s intentional.”

Why Has Johnson Not Sworn in Grijalva?

House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly stated that Grijalva will be sworn in only after Senate Democrats pass a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution to end the government shutdown. While the House has been technically in recess for three weeks, it has convened brief pro forma sessions in which no legislative business is conducted.

Grijalva points to precedents showing such delays are not required. Two Florida Republicans, Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, were sworn in during pro forma sessions after winning special elections in April. Virginia Democrat James Walkinshaw was also sworn in a day after his September special election.

Johnson has provided several explanations for not swearing in Grijalva during these sessions. Last week, he confronted Gallego and Sen. Mark Kelly outside his office, dismissing their accusations as “absurd” and asserting that the timing of Grijalva’s swearing-in “has nothing to do” with Epstein. “Democrats are experts in red herrings,” he said.

In a Tuesday news conference, Johnson referenced Louisiana Republican Julia Letlow, who was sworn in 25 days after her March 2021 special election. He said Grijalva “deserves to have all the pomp and circumstance that everybody else does,” including a full House for the ceremony, a formal speech, and family in the gallery—none of which have been scheduled because the House has not convened a full session.

Grijalva countered, “I don’t need bells and whistles. I don’t need pomp and circumstance. I just need to get to work for Southern Arizona.”

Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (center) speaks alongside other House Democrats outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office Tuesday.Francis Chung / POLITICO via AP Images

What Can Democrats Do?

Grijalva said Wednesday that she was “looking at every possible option that we have” to compel Johnson to seat her. “This is really unprecedented to have a speaker that is obstructing the swearing-in of a member of Congress,” she said.

Her election has now been formally certified by Arizona election officials. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, wrote to Johnson on Tuesday, emphasizing that Grijalva no longer needs a House resolution to be sworn in. “With the House in possession of the certificate of election, it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office,” Mayes wrote. She warned that continued delay would be “in violation of the Constitution” and threatened “prompt legal action” if Johnson does not swear her in immediately or provide a clear timeline for seating her.

“Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of CD 7 to representation from the person they recently voted for, are not up for debate and may not be delayed or used as leverage in negotiations about unrelated legislation,” Mayes added.

On Tuesday night, members of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus marched to Johnson’s office to demand that he swear in Grijalva. Johnson dismissed the protest, saying, “Last night, they played some games, they stormed my office. They engaged in all sorts of political stunts and antics,” while he was attending a White House ceremony posthumously awarding Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

What Does This Have to Do With Jeffrey Epstein?

Epstein survivors, members of both parties in Congress, and many in former Donald Trump’s base have called for more transparency surrounding Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking trial.

Trump, who was friendly with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but claimed to have fallen out with him before Epstein became a convicted sex offender, has dismissed the matter as “a Democrat hoax.”

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California are leading a bipartisan effort to force the Department of Justice to release the full tranche of files—estimated at roughly 100,000 pages—related to Epstein. The House Oversight Committee is also investigating and has subpoenaed files from both the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate.

Lawmakers from both parties have repeatedly called for the release of more information. Some top officials in the Trump-era Justice Department had promised to release the files but later reversed course, citing concerns about protecting survivors’ personal information. Many have questioned whether more could be disclosed.

“There is zero question in my mind that a huge, huge part of this is around buying time around the Epstein issue. They are scrambling. They don’t know what to do,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, a first-term Arizona Democrat and member of the House Oversight Committee.

Johnson sent lawmakers home for a five-week recess in July after disagreements over the Epstein files stalled House business. “And it wasn’t until there was so much pressure on Republicans in Congress that in one subcommittee of the Oversight Committee, we were able to get several Republicans to join us, and that’s how the subpoena even came to light,” Ansari said. “If it were up to Mike Johnson, there would never have been an Oversight investigation.”

Johnson’s Position on Releasing Epstein Files

Johnson has stated he supports releasing more files but opposes Khanna and Massie’s measure, citing the need to protect survivors’ personal information and the ongoing Oversight Committee investigation. Khanna and Massie are attempting to bypass leadership opposition with a procedural tool called a discharge petition, which requires 218 signatures to force a House vote.

Currently, all sitting House Democrats and three Republican women—Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace—have signed onto the petition. Grijalva would be the 218th signature, making her critical to the effort.

Ansari said the White House is exerting “pressure” on the Republican women who signed the petition, which officials view as a “hostile act.” “They are using this time that they are not swearing in Congresswoman-elect Grijalva to try to put as much pressure as possible on, what I have heard, Lauren Boebert, especially, to get her to come off of that petition so that Adelita would not be the 218th signature,” Ansari said.

As this standoff continues, Southern Arizona remains without representation, while Democrats warn of the dangerous precedent it sets: a House speaker potentially blocking a duly elected member for political leverage. With formal certification complete, legal pressure mounting, and partisan battles over Epstein files heating up, Grijalva and her allies are demanding immediate action to seat the lawmaker and restore her constituents’ voice in Congress.