Arizona Democrat and Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva is currently suing the United States House of Representatives and Speaker Mike Johnson for not swearing her into office amidst the government shutdown, according to CNN News.
Grijalva was initially scheduled to be sworn in to the House shortly after her decisive victory in an election held on September 23, for the position of Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District Representative.
According to ABC News, the position became vacant after her father, “progressive Democrat Raúl Grijalva, died in March after serving in Congress for more than two decades”.
As the US government remains shut down, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly refused to swear Grijalva into the position, claiming that he will do so when the Democrats vote to reopen the government.
However, critics of the House Speaker are claiming he is being hypocritical as “Johnson, in April, swore in two Florida Republicans- Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine- shortly after their special elections, while the House was [out of session],” according to NBC News.
No US politician in the last twelve years has waited longer than Grijalva has to be sworn into office.
The absence of a representative for Arizona’s 7th congressional district leaves Tucson residents without a voice in government, causing frustration among many.
According to CNN News, Tucson Immigration Attorney Rachel Wilson claims that she has always relied on her local congressional office to “help untangle bureaucratic knots”.
“Here I am paying taxes to the federal government,” Wilson laments, “and not only is it closed but I don’t have a representative either.”
Amongst the conflict, rumors have spread that Johnson’s refusal to swear Grijalva into office is based on her pledged involvement in a petition that could potentially release classified information in the Epstein Files, which are suspected to include documentation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, along with those of his associates and clientele.
Before she was elected, Grijalva “promised to sign onto a bipartisan petition to force a vote in the House to release the Epstein files. Hers would mark the decisive 218th signature to trigger that vote,” said NPR News.
Adelita Grijalva has been very active on social media platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok, and X, criticizing Johnson and the House for their inaction and gaining support for her cause.
“Republicans would rather protect pedophiles and stay on vacation than do their jobs,” claimed Grijalva on an Instagram video, according to ABC15 News.
Johnson has denied these allegations, however, stating that his decision to hold off on swearing in Grijalva is unrelated to these documents.