Adelita Grijalva Sworn Into House After Two-Month Delay; Immediately Joins Push to Release Epstein Files

Adelita Grijalva sworn in after delayed oath, signs discharge petition on Epstein files

Adelita Grijalva was sworn in on the House floor on Nov. 12 by Speaker Mike Johnson, more than two months after winning a Sept. 23 special election in Arizona to fill the 7th Congressional District seat left vacant by the March death of her father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva.

Immediately after taking the oath, Grijalva became the 218th signer of a discharge petition aimed at forcing a House floor vote to compel the Department of Justice to release its case files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Why the delay mattered

Grijalva and other Democrats criticized the delay in administering the oath while the House was in an extended recess during a federal government shutdown. In remarks to colleagues, she said the delay deprived roughly 813,000 residents of southern Arizona of representation and left her without an office phone, an office budget or access to government systems.

"This is an abuse of power," Grijalva said. "One individual should not be able to unilaterally obstruct the swearing in of a duly elected member of Congress for political reasons."

Speaker Johnson had said he would swear her in when the House reconvened; that decision prompted federal lawsuits and accusations from critics that the timing was politically motivated to keep Democrats short of the 218 signatures needed to force a discharge-petition vote on the Epstein files.

The petition and next steps

The discharge petition already includes signatures from all House Democrats and four Republicans: Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.) and Nancy Mace (S.C.). Media outlets reported that White House and Justice Department figures met with Rep. Boebert to urge her to withdraw her signature; Boebert said she met with officials and thanked them on social media.

Speaker Johnson told reporters he plans to bring the matter to a floor vote next week and said he would bypass the customary seven-day waiting period to do so as soon as the House returns.

Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) predicted a substantial bipartisan group could support release of the files, saying he expects dozens of Republicans to join Democrats. Khanna and Rep. Massie introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act in July.

Context on the files

The documents at issue were compiled by the Department of Justice during its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in custody while awaiting trial on federal charges. Congress has already released more than 33,000 pages of related material that were redacted to protect witness identities and other sensitive information.

Grijalva signed the petition while two survivors of Epstein's abuse watched from the House gallery. "Justice cannot wait another day," she said, urging Congress to act as a check on the executive branch.

The discharge-petition route would force a House vote but would still require approval by the Republican-controlled Senate before any compelled release of files could reach the White House.

Political arithmetic and vacancies

As of Nov. 12, Democrats held a narrow edge in the House; two seats remained vacant. House Democrats noted that the speaker could have used a pro forma session to administer the oath earlier and pointed to occasions when pro forma sessions were used to swear in other members.

Two other special contests remain: a December special election in Tennessee for a seat that leans Republican, and a January runoff in Texas where two Democrats are the final candidates.

Sources: UPI reporting and statements from members of Congress and House leadership.