Arizona Lawyer Common Kris Mayes on Tuesday threatened to sue Home Speaker Mike Johnson if he would not swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva.
“On behalf of Arizona, I am demanding Speaker Johnson seat Congresswoman Grij[a]lva without delay. We are keeping every option open to us, including litigation, to make sure that Adelita is able to begin her work as Arizona’s newest member of Congress,” Mayes wrote in a publish on X, together with a replica of the letter she despatched Johnson, telling him he needed to swear in Grijalva or she would file swimsuit.
Grijalva received her U.S. Home seat in a particular election on Sept. 23 however has nonetheless not been sworn in by Johnson. Her victory was formally licensed by Arizona election officers on Tuesday.
Johnson has made various excuses for why he hasn’t seated Grijalva, none of which maintain as much as scrutiny.
Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, proven in September.
Johnson has mentioned he cannot swear Grijalva in as a result of the Home is not in session.
“As I have said repeatedly, the House will follow customary practice by swearing in Rep.-elect Grijalva when the House is in legislative session,” Johnson mentioned in an announcement in response to Mayes’ letter.
Nonetheless, that may be a lie. Earlier this yr, Johnson swore in two Florida GOP lawmakers the day after they received particular elections, despite the fact that the Home was in recess.
However when reporters have identified that Johnson can nonetheless swear Grijalva in throughout a recess, he then mentioned that these two Florida Republicans got the oath as a result of their households had flown in.
“There was a unique exception made when the two Florida representatives were sworn in earlier this year, after winning a special election. And the only reason we did that is because it was previously noticed for that date and they flew all their families and friends in for the ceremony,” Johnson mentioned on Oct. 8.
However when requested if Johnson would do the identical for Grijalva if her household was within the Capitol, Johnson mentioned no. “These are distractions,” he added.
In fact, the true cause Johnson just isn’t swearing in Grijalva is as a result of she could be the ultimate vote wanted to pressure a vote on releasing the federal government’s recordsdata on accused intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson clearly doesn’t need that vote to happen, since President Donald Trump’s identify reportedly seems quite a few occasions within the recordsdata.
Johnson denies that he is not swearing Grijalva in to keep away from an Epstein recordsdata vote.
“This has absolutely nothing to do about Epstein. This is a scheduling matter,” he mentioned on Oct. 8.
Nonetheless, even Johnson’s personal GOP colleagues say Grijalva hasn’t been sworn in due to the Epstein recordsdata state of affairs.
A bus cease in London shows a photograph of President Donald Trump and accused intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, which was positioned by activists, in July.
“Contrary to what he says, [Johnson] is doing everything he can, including delaying the swearing in of the most recently elected member of Congress and spreading misinformation about the legislation, to block a vote in Congress on legislation to release the Epstein files,” Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who sponsored laws to launch the Epstein recordsdata, wrote in a publish on X.
Grijalva, for her half, has been loudly campaigning for Johnson to seat her.
On Tuesday, she walked with fellow feminine Democratic lawmakers to Johnson’s workplace within the Capitol to demand she be sworn in.
“Speaker Johnson has exhausted each excuse to delay my swearing-in,” Grijalva said in a statement. “I’m merely asking him to abide by the identical precedent he set when he swore in his Republican colleagues inside 24 hours of their particular elections and through professional forma classes earlier this yr. Any additional delay reveals his true motive: Speaker Johnson is stalling as a result of he is aware of I would be the 218th signature on the discharge petition to launch the Epstein recordsdata.”
