Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has issued a stern warning to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, demanding that he immediately stop delaying and seat Arizona’s newest congresswoman, Adelita Grijalva, who was elected in a special election three weeks ago.
On September 23, voters in Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District overwhelmingly chose Grijalva — a Tucson Democrat — to succeed her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva, who passed away in March. The election was officially canvassed on Tuesday, completing the state’s certification process.
However, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has refused to seat her, citing a range of shifting reasons — from the ongoing government shutdown that began on October 1 to other procedural excuses — despite Grijalva’s decisive victory, where she captured nearly 70% of the vote.
“You and your staff have provided ever-shifting, unsatisfactory, and sometimes absurd stories as to why Ms. Grijalva has not been sworn in,” Mayes wrote in a pointed letter to Johnson. “In a particularly worrisome comment, an aide connected the swearing-in and admission to the ongoing budget fight, suggesting that the House is trying to use Arizona’s constitutional right to representation in the House as a bargaining chip.”
Mayes also warned that legal action could follow if Johnson continues to obstruct Grijalva’s swearing-in. “Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of CD 7 to representation from the person they recently voted for, are not up for debate and may not be delayed or used as leverage in negotiations about unrelated legislation,” she wrote.
For weeks, Arizona’s Democratic congressional delegation has been publicly criticizing Johnson, arguing that his refusal to seat Grijalva is politically motivated. Several Democrats have accused the Speaker of deliberately preventing her from participating in a crucial vote tied to the release of the FBI’s long-sealed case files concerning Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor after striking a controversial non-prosecution agreement. He was later arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died by suicide while in custody awaiting trial.
Trump and Epstein were known to socialize frequently during the 1990s, appearing together at multiple high-profile gatherings, including a 1992 Mar-a-Lago party and Trump’s 1993 wedding. Flight records also show Trump on Epstein’s jet several times between 1993 and 1997.
Adding fuel to the fire, Democrats recently released a lewd birthday card allegedly sent by Donald Trump to Epstein. Republicans, including Trump himself, have dismissed it as a “hoax,” but Democrats argue that the card proves a disturbing effort to conceal the full scope of Trump’s relationship with Epstein.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is protecting pedophiles,” U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego said in a fiery October 10 appearance on MSNBC.
If sworn in, Grijalva would reportedly cast the 218th and deciding vote to force the House to take up the motion to release Epstein’s FBI files. Democrats claim Johnson is obstructing the process to block that outcome — an accusation he strongly denies.
In her own October 6 letter to Johnson, Grijalva demanded to be sworn in and announced plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to work alongside congressional Democrats to help end the shutdown.
Johnson, speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, defended his actions by saying that “it’s common practice to wait until the next regular session of Congress to swear in new members.” He also claimed that Arizona’s Democratic senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, should work with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the government so Grijalva could be sworn in.
He further attempted to redirect attention toward the Biden administration, asserting that delays in releasing Epstein’s files were due to necessary redactions to protect victims’ identities.
“Speaker Johnson has exhausted every excuse to delay my swearing-in,” Grijalva responded in her statement. “I am simply asking him to abide by the same precedent he set when he swore in his Republican colleagues within 24 hours of their special elections and during pro forma sessions earlier this year. Any further delay reveals his true motive: Speaker Johnson is stalling because he knows I will be the 218th signature on the discharge petition to release the Epstein files.”
While Johnson maintains that his stance is procedural, records show that earlier this year, the House swore in two Republican and one Democratic lawmakers within 24 hours of their elections — before state certifications were even complete — during pro forma sessions, which are brief meetings held without conducting business.
Mayes accused Johnson of violating the U.S. Constitution by denying representation to the more than 800,000 residents of Arizona’s Seventh District. “No one questions Ms. Grijalva’s election or its returns, or raises an issue of her qualifications,” Mayes wrote. “The House is without authority to refuse her oath and admission.”
Before entering Congress, Grijalva served on the Tucson Unified School District Board, where she was a strong advocate for bilingual education. More recently, she held a seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, following her father’s legacy of championing environmental protection and progressive community policies.
