Rep. Adelita Grijalva was finally sworn into office Wednesday afternoon, seven weeks after winning her election by a landslide in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
Democrats in the chamber and those watching from the gallery clapped as Grijalva walked in, alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. She shared hugs with many of her Democratic colleagues on the House floor. Only a handful of Republicans — including Rep. Thomas Massie — watched from seats in the chamber.
“This is an abuse of power. One individual should not be able to unilaterally obstruct the swearing in of a duly elected member of Congress,” she said in a speech before signing a petition to release files related to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
House Speaker Mike Johnson repeatedly said he could not swear Grijalva in before the government was reopened since she was elected after the House went out of session in September, despite outcry from Democrats. The state of Arizona ended up suing the House over it in an attempt to force Johnson’s hand.
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He told reporters following the swearing-in ceremony that while he may not agree politically with Grijalva, she is a “great person” and that “she’s going to be an excellent member of Congress.”
“I really like this lady,” Johnson added.
Up until this point, Grijalva had essentially been in a state of limbo. When she arrived in D.C. in late September, she said she was unable to hire staff, move into her office or go anywhere in the Capitol without being escorted.
Grijalva told NOTUS before she was sworn in that she didn’t really know how to feel.
“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster to get here, and so I’m excited to finally be able to do my job and represent southern Arizona,” she said.
She added that she has “never” spoken with Johnson.
“His office has never communicated with me, which is really problematic, I think, in general,” Grijalva told NOTUS.
Democrats have alleged Johnson delayed Grijalva’s swearing in because she would be the final signature needed on Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna’s discharge petition on the Epstein files. Khanna and Massie sat side by side on the House floor as Grijalva gave a speech, while two victims of Epstein watched from the gallery.
The news cycle surrounding the Epstein files — once dulled by the shutdown — ramped back up Wednesday morning when Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released documents and emails that show Epstein alleging that President Donald Trump “knew about the girls” and spent time with a sex-trafficking victim at Epstein’s home.
Grijalva won by over 40 percentage points on Sept. 23 in a special election, and is set to represent about 800,000 Arizonans. She is taking the seat of her father, Raúl Grijalva, who died in office in March.
As for what’s next, Grijalva texted Semafor that she plans to “make up for seven weeks’ lost time. And unpack at some point.”
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