Adelita Grijalva speaks to media at a primary election-night party in South Tucson, Ariz., on July 15, 2025. Credit - Rebecca Noble—Getty Images Two weeks after winning a special election for Arizona's 7th congressional district, Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva has yet to be sworn in to Congress—and the delay is also preventing a key development in the saga surrounding late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom President Donald Trump hastried to distancehimself fromdespite apparent associations. Grijalva told Phoenix radio networkKJZZMonday that she's heard "absolutely nothing" from House Speaker Mike Johnson or House officials on when she could take her oath. "There has been direct communication with the Speaker's office and myself," Grijalva said. "But they're—having canceled all of their votes, have no indication at all as to when I might get sworn in." Johnson had committed to swearing in Grijalva swiftly: speaking toCBS Morningslast Thursday, the House Speaker said that while "the House is not on the floor doing business" that week, he promised to do so "early next week as soon as everyone returns to town. We have to have everybody here, and we'll swear her in." But the Speaker broke that promise. On Friday, a notice from Johnson read on the House floorsaidthat Oct. 7-13 will be a "district work period," which means lawmakers can work from their districts rather than in D.C. Previously scheduled votes were cancelled. With no committee hearings scheduled and no bills up for floor consideration, the House is effectively out of session. "The House did its job," JohnsonsaidFriday, referring to a continuing resolution tofund the governmentthat was passed by the Republican-majority lower chamber. "And it's been rejected by the Senate." But Johnson's move to put the House in recess has also effectively prevented Grijalva from starting her job. "I am still waiting," Grijalva told KJZZ. "The sad part is that there are so many questions," she added. Grijalva argued she can be sworn in "at any time," as Johnson has done with other lawmakers who won special elections. But there's incentive for Johnson and Republicans to delay Grijalva's official duties: once sworn in, Grijalva can break a different congressional impasse herself. She vowed on the campaign trail to be the last-needed vote in the House's bid to force the Trump Administration to release undisclosed documents related to Epstein. (The billwould still need to also pass in the Republican-majority Senate.) Democratshave pushed to fast-track the processof Grijalva's swearing-in andaccused Johnsonand the House Republican leadership of stalling to protect Trump and their chamber from incurring the President's wrath. "You get the White House undermining our democracy," Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the senior Democrat on the House Rules Committee,said Monday, "and now you get the Speaker of the House doing the same thing." A Tucson native, Grijalva, 54, is the daughter of former Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva. The elder Grijalva served in the House since 2003, representing the state's 7th district from 2003 to 2013, the state's 3rd district from 2013 to 2023, and the 7th district again from 2023 until his death at age 77 in March. He was set to retire at the end of his term but suffered from lung cancer and diedfrom related complications. The younger Grijalva, who is married to a librarian and has three children, worked in the public sector for a while before running for Congress. According toher campaign biography, Grijalva was first elected to the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board in 2002, and she served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors after being elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. She also worked at Pima County Teen Court for more than 25 years. After her father's death, Grijalva announced her candidacy for hiscongressional seat on March 31. She won the Democratic primary in July, and on Sept. 23, she faced off against Republican candidate Daniel Butierez. Grijalvawon the special election with almost 69% of the vote. Grijalva has said that one of her top priorities is to sign the petition on the discharge of the so-called "Epstein files," which the Justice Department under Trump has said that it has no plansto release. "First, I will sign the discharge petition for the release of the Epstein files and other similar petitions," Grijalva toldEl PaisMonday. The Epstein files have been the subject of congressional fascination ever since controversy around the Trump Administration's handling of the issue exploded over the summer. Reps. Thomas Massie (R, Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D, Calif.) have led an effort to compel the Justice Department to release those files. Johnson, on the other hand, hasbackeda House Oversight and Government Reform Committee probe into the files—a move that is largely seen as symbolic and ineffectual, given that the panel isn't required to take any action on the files on the House floor. In the House, the Speaker works with committee leaders to set the chamber's agenda and decide on the bills and resolutions that get a vote. This allows House leaders to ignore any agenda they don't want to handle. But Massie's and Khanna's discharge petition could bypass Johnson and force the House to vote on the release of the files if it gets 218 signatures from House members. The petition currently has217 signatories: all 213 current House Democrats, plus four Republicans—Massie, Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and Nancy Mace (S.C.). Once Grijalva takes office, she is expected to be the much-awaited 218th signature. But Grijalva's signature doesn't automatically send the discharge petition to the Senate. Supporters of the discharge petition must wait seven days before they can motion for a vote, and then the Speaker is required to hold a vote on the proposal within two legislative days. Still, Johnson can try to block the discharge effort in the Rules Committee, though the panel hasrebelled against him in the past. He can also motion to "table" the vote, but that would require the Republican signatories of the discharge to support the tabling of it, which they are unlikely to do. Johnson has suggested that Grijalva will be sworn in as soon as the shutdown ends. "The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government," he said. But Grijalva and others believe the crucial Epstein vote is the sole reason for the delay in her swearing-in. "Johnson and the House Republicans care more about protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people," Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D, N.Y.) said Friday. "I really, truly try not to be a conspiracy theorist about any of it," Grijalva told KJZZ. "I think there's plausible explanations for most things. Unfortunately, in this case, the only thing that differentiates me from the other three people that have been sworn in in specials this year is that I am the 218th signer to the discharge petitions to release the Epstein files." Johnson called the suggestion "totally absurd" onNBC'sMeet the Presson Sunday. "This has nothing to do with that. It's another red herring," he said. But even some of the handful of Republicans in favor of the discharge petition have also connected the dots. "Why are we in recess? Because the day we go back into session, I have 218 votes for the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files," Massiepostedon X. "Not being in session certainly does avoid the Epstein discharge petition, which I've never understood why it's anything to hide," GreenetoldAxios. "Aren't we all against convicted pedophiles and anyone who enables them?" Compared to Grijalva's case, Johnson has not taken his time swearing in other newly elected lawmakers who won in special elections earlier this year. The House was not in regular session whenJohnson swore in Florida Republican Reps. Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronisin April, just a day after their election victories. And in September, Johnsonswore in Virginia Democratic Rep. James Walkinshawthe day after he won. UnderHouse rules, "until a Member-elect has subscribed to the oath, he does not enjoy all the rights and prerogatives of a Member of Congress." Those rules, however, do not specify when a swearing-in ceremony should occur. Because of the inconsistency, some have flagged Johnson's apparent double standards and raised questions about whether the delay is even allowed. Grijalva's fellow Arizona Democrat, Rep. Greg Stanton, told Johnson ina Sept. 30 letterthat with his "blocking" of Grijalva's swearing-in, he is "depriving more than 800,000 Arizonans of their rightful voice in Congress," which Stanton alleged is "a direct violation of both the Constitution's guarantee of representation and the House's duty to respect the will of the voters." "My election does not change Democrats into the majority. We'll still be in the minority," Grijalva told KJZZ. "Our constituents are losing out because of these games that are being played with my swearing in." Grijalva, however, posited another theory for the delay. "Perhaps Johnson needs a little more time to try to convince one of the four Republicans to remove their name from the petition," shetoldmedia personality Don Lemon on Monday night. Contact usatletters@time.com.
