House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is delaying the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., which some Democrats say is due to her support of a petition to release files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Washington Examiner reports.
"This is not a coincidence," said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz. "If Adelita Grijalva is sworn into Congress as she should be immediately, she would be the final signature needed to bring this to a vote for the entire House of Representatives."
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., questioned the speaker's motives.
"Any delay in swearing in Representative-elect Grijalva unnecessarily deprives her constituents of representation and calls into question if the motive behind the delay is to further avoid the release of the Epstein files," she wrote in a letter to Johnson.
Grijalva, who won a special election two weeks ago, wrote in a social media post that Johnson not swearing her in immediately like he would other lawmakers "raises serious questions about political motivations — especially since I have pledged to become the 218th signature on the discharge petition to force a vote on the Epstein files.
"Every day that Speaker Johnson delays is another day Southern Arizonans are left without a voice in Congress and without essential in-district services. With federal budget negotiations happening now, our community deserves a seat at the table — not partisan obstruction."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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