Arizona Senators Confront Speaker Johnson Over Delayed Swearing-In of Representative Grijalva

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego confronted House Speaker Mike Johnson today, demanding the immediate swearing-in of Representative Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on September 23rd to fill the seat vacated by her late father, citing a potential delay in a vote regarding Jeffrey Epstein documents.

The exchange occurred outside of Johnson’s office, where Kelly and Gallego accused the Speaker of intentionally postponing Grijalva’s swearing-in to impede a discharge petition requiring the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. As the senators spoke with reporters, Johnson emerged and addressed the concerns directly, stating, “I’m not blocking her!” He explained that a “long tradition and a process” governs the administration of oaths and that Grijalva would be sworn in upon the House’s return. He also urged the senators to vote to end the current government shutdown.

The senators pointed to instances of Republican representatives being sworn in during House recesses, to which Johnson responded that those instances involved scheduled swearing-in days and the presence of family in Washington. He asserted the delay in Grijalva’s case was due to her election occurring after the House break on September 19th, and emphatically stated, “Has nothing to do with Epstein.” Representative Mike Lawler joined the conversation, telling the senators to “knock it the hell off” and accusing them of falsely implying a cover-up. The delay leaves nearly 700,000 Arizonans without full representation in Congress. You can find more information about the role of a discharge petition here.

Following the encounter, Senator Kelly expressed skepticism regarding Johnson’s explanation, questioning the requirement for Grijalva to bring her family to Washington for the swearing-in. He believes the delay is directly linked to securing the 218th vote needed for the discharge petition. Grijalva herself posted a photo of the interaction on X, stating, “The people of my district need representation, NOW!” The House is currently scheduled to reconvene on October 14th, and the status of the Epstein document release remains uncertain. For background on the Epstein case, see reporting from the New York Times.