Mike Johnson, the new Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He balked at swearing in Adelita Grijalva, a newly elected Democrat, to fill the seat her father, Raúl Grijalva, used to represent. This unusual state of affairs raised quite a furor, especially as Johnson had allowed other representatives to be sworn in during pro forma sessions earlier.
Adelita Grijalva won a special election to replace her father in representing Arizona’s 3rd congressional district. She is following in the footsteps of her father, who himself served many terms in Congress. Despite Johnson winning the election, she is refusing to give her successor the oath of office. This has led to rampant speculation about why she would want to delay it.
The whole thing played out on a three-and-a-half-minute, regularly scheduled pro forma session in which Adelita Grijalva was hoping to be sworn in. Instead, she was cut off by the presiding Republican chair, Congressman Morgan Griffith. As expected, Johnson has made it official that the House will not come back this week. This late decision not only delays her swearing-in, but raises alarm from fellow lawmakers and her constituents alike.
Adelita Grijalva contends that Johnson is intentionally delaying her swearing-in. She believes he is working to prevent her from campaigning on a petition to release confidential files related to the case of serial predator Jeffrey Epstein. This petition is on Change.org that has 217 signatures, so just one more will put it over the top to have it considered further. Grijalva has pledged to provide her support for this petition, which aims to bring transparency and accountability to the Epstein case.
This delay reveals a deeper conversation on accountability versus transparency within government. These conversations are especially important when dealing with hot-button topics, like the Epstein files. As we wrote last week, former President Donald Trump has fought tooth and nail against the release of these files. He even called it a “waste” of “time and energy.” This political backdrop makes the circumstances of Grijalva’s swearing-in all the more remarkable.
The major criticism is that Johnson is going against his own initial announcements that he would seat all elected members. This inconsistency casts major doubts over the honesty of his leadership. Opponents claim that, by leading the charge to deny recognition of Grijalva’s election, he is actually leading us into dangerous waters. Even worse, this action violates the democratic process.
With pressure mounting, Adelita Grijalva stands firm on her position. She says that Johnson doesn’t want to acknowledge her as equal to these other new members of Congress. This, she believes, is because she plans to advocate for the release of the Epstein files. Her fierce tenacity is symbolic of a greater push for transparency and accountability from Congress’ biggest critics—the American people themselves.
The ramifications of this go beyond Grijalva’s own story. It raises important questions about how elected officials are treated based on their party affiliation and positions on controversial issues. The reputational damage to Congressional legislative processes and public faith in government institutions is profound.