Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva to take oath on Wednesday – likely to push for a vote on making Epstein files public

Swearing-In of Adelita Grijalva and Epstein Files Bill

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is set to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who will likely be the last signatory on a bill aimed at forcing the release of government documents concerning convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Grijalva won a special election for Arizona’s southern 7th Congressional District, a seat previously held by her late father, and will officially take office after a wait of over seven weeks.

“Now that I’ve waited seven weeks, I can hardly believe it’s true,” Grijalva shared in a video on X.

Featured on the Congressman-elect’s page is a message: “Release the file.”

If Grijalva signs the release petition on Wednesday, a vote on making public the files related to Epstein could materialize in early December.

Representatives Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) gathered support from 217 Republican members, including prominent figures like Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Rep. Nancy Mace, on an expulsion petition tied to the so-called Epstein file.

Once the signatures reach 218, the Speaker will have to move forward with a resolution to instruct the Justice Department to unveil unclassified documents linked to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

“If she signs tomorrow, it should ripen,” remarked House Rules Committee Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) on Tuesday, hinting at a potential vote in early December. “That doesn’t mean the Speaker might attempt some tricks with the discharge petition, but if all goes as planned, we should have closure by early December,” he added.

A spokesperson for Grijalva did not immediately respond regarding her decision on the discharge petition.

Democrats accuse Johnson of stalling Grijalva’s swearing-in to postpone a House vote about the Epstein files, which Trump has labeled a Democratic “hoax.”

Johnson has denied that the expulsion petition is linked to Grijalva’s seating.

Last month, he stated that he was “following Pelosi’s lead” by not administering the oath to special election winners while the House is in session, even prior to the long government shutdown. “I will swear her in the first day we come back,” he emphasized, expressing his commitment.

Grijalva expressed frustration on X about the initial bill she would be voting on, criticizing its lack of focus on affordable health care for Americans. “We have to do something to ensure that one person does not silence the voices of 813,000 people,” she added, reflecting on the delays she’s faced. “This should never happen again to another elected official waiting because someone doesn’t want to do their job or is politically motivated.”