Democrats Demand Oath of Newly Elected Members

On Tuesday night, a group of Democratic lawmakers approached House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, insisting on the oath of office for newly elected members. Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington led her colleagues, including Representatives Melanie Stansbury, Nanette Barragan, and Adelita Grijalva, in marching to the office while chanting “I swear to her.” However, Capitol Police prevented them from entering.

Footage captured various moments of the demonstration, showing Jayapal and Stansbury interacting with a sign outside the office and becoming engaged in a verbal dispute with an officer present.

Grijalva recently secured a win in a special election on September 23 but has yet to take her oath. Her vote is crucial for the House to proceed with a petition regarding the Epstein case, which has been put forth by Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massey.

The petition, positioned just one vote away from passing, calls on the Republican-led House to compel the Justice Department to release information regarding the late convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Response from Speaker Johnson

In light of the incident, Speaker Johnson addressed the situation the following day, characterizing the lawmakers’ actions as a “political stunt.” He noted, “They stormed my office. You may have seen some of their own shared videos where they were confrontational with a Capitol Police officer simply doing his job.”

Johnson continued, remarking, “This incident reflects their evident disregard for law enforcement. Just as we’ve witnessed across the nation, my office became a stage for their political antics.”