House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has scheduled the swearing in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Grijalva won a special election seven weeks ago to fill the seat left vacant by her father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who passed away in March 2025.

“Major update! Looks like I may finally be getting sworn in this week,” Grijalva said.

CBS News shared:

Johnson’s reasons for not swearing in Grijalva have shifted over the last several weeks. During the first week of the shutdown, Johnson said he would administer the oath “as soon as she wants.” But Johnson has also said that it would happen as soon as the House returns, that the delay was the result of a scheduling issue and that his decision to wait was “following the precedent.”

The GOP leader noted that in 2021 it took former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, 25 days to swear in Republican Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana, who won a special election during the pandemic to replace her late husband.

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Democrats have countered that two Florida Republicans were sworn in earlier this year during a pro forma session on April 2, a day after they won their special elections.

Arizona’s attorney general filed a lawsuit last month seeking to expedite Grijalva’s swearing-in.

“It’s way past time for Mike Johnson to stop the political games and seat Adelita without delay. Today, my office is sending a letter to Speaker Johnson demanding he do so,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said last month.

“We are keeping every option open to us, including litigation, to hold him accountable and make sure that Adelita is able to begin her work as Arizona’s newest member of Congress,” Mayes added.

Democrat Attorney General Threatens Legal Action Against House Speaker Mike Johnson, Here’s Why

“It is no surprise that yet another Democrat politician from Arizona is trying a publicity stunt. I’ve explained this a thousand times, we’re going to swear in Grijalva as soon as we get back to legislative session,” Johnson previously told reporters.

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Grijalva's swearing in is also noteworthy because she's expected to be the final vote needed to pass the discharge petition brought by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

"I would be the final vote on releasing the Epstein Files and they don’t want them out. The American people deserve transparency and accountability!" Grijalva said last month.

"The 218th and final signature for the Epstein discharge petition will happen tomorrow," Massie said on Tuesday.

More from The Independent:

Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in on Wednesday by Speaker Mike Johnson, his office said on Tuesday, ending weeks of delays and likely triggering a vote in the House of Representatives around the release of the Department of Justice’s trove of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

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The speaker’s office made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, as Congress appeared to be on the brink of ending the longest federal government shutdown in history. Johnson previously said that Grijalva’s swearing-in would be delayed until the shutdown ended.

Democrats in the chamber have loudly insisted for weeks that Johnson’s real aim in delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in was to prevent a vote on a resolution co-sponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Ro Khanna (D-California) which, with Grijalva’s signature, will be forced to the House floor as privileged legislation.

 

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