Adelita Grijalva Sworn In — Her Signature Becomes the 218th to Advance Vote on Epstein Records

Adelita Grijalva sworn into Congress, becomes pivotal 218th signer on effort to unseal Epstein documents

WASHINGTON — Adelita Grijalva was formally sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, more than seven weeks after winning a Sept. 23 special election to fill the seat last held by her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) administered the oath shortly before the chamber reconvened to consider government funding legislation. After delivering brief remarks on the House floor, Grijalva added her name to a discharge petition circulated by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), pushing the petition to the 218 signatures required to advance an effort to force a vote on making public unclassified records and communications tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.

What the new signature means

Grijalva’s seating narrows the Republican edge in the House to a 220-214 majority. While reaching 218 signatures is a significant procedural milestone, House rules mean the petition does not produce an immediate floor vote. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, said he expects a vote on the measure in early December.

Three House Republicans had already signed Massie’s petition: Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.). A person with knowledge of the matter told reporters that President Donald Trump has reached out to two of those Republicans; that person said Trump phoned Mace (who returned the call but has not yet spoken with him) and that a separate call to Boebert was unsuccessful. Members can still remove their names from the petition prior to a final vote.

Delay and controversy over seating

Grijalva and Democrats had criticized a multiweek delay in seating her, saying the pause appeared intended to prevent her from signing the Epstein petition while the House was out of session. Johnson had declined to swear her in during the weeks the chamber was adjourned; his office said winners of special elections are normally sworn in when the House is conducting business. The delay prompted public criticism and a lawsuit from Arizona’s attorney general.

“We can and must do better. What is most concerning is not what this administration has done, but what the majority of this body has failed to do,” Grijalva said on the House floor after taking the oath, urging Congress to restore “full checks and balances.”

First votes and priorities

Grijalva will immediately vote on a Senate-passed funding measure; most House Democrats, including Grijalva, are expected to oppose it because it does not extend Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at year-end. With the Republican majority, GOP leaders retain the ability to pass the bill.

Grijalva said she will carry forward the progressive priorities associated with her father’s long tenure: environmental justice, labor rights, tribal sovereignty and public education. She previously served on the Tucson Unified School District board and the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where she became only the second woman to lead the board.

Epstein documents and fresh scrutiny

The discharge petition would require the Justice Department to produce all unclassified records and communications connected to Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation. Newly released emails from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have renewed public attention on the matter; one email attributed to Epstein referenced then‑private claims about President Trump’s association with people linked to Epstein. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the Democrats’ disclosures a selective leak intended to smear the president, while Oversight Republicans have pointed to Virginia Giuffre as a person named in some committee materials; Giuffre has previously accused Epstein of facilitating encounters between victims and wealthy, powerful men and has said Trump was not among those who abused her.

This story has been corrected to note that Grijalva was elected more than seven weeks earlier, not nearly seven weeks earlier.

Reporting note: Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.; additional reporting by The Associated Press.