In what observers call a “disgusting new low,” Republicans in the House are deliberately dragging their feet on swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), effectively blocking her from casting a crucial vote on the release of Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files. The move reeks of political obstruction at its worst — designed to keep one of the final dominoes from falling in a fight for transparency.
Grijalva, who won a special election to fill the seat of her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva — a progressive icon — is expected to be the decisive 218th vote on a bipartisan discharge petition aimed at compelling the release of the Epstein files. The petition, introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), has faced fierce opposition from President Donald Trump and GOP leadership, who have done everything in their power to prevent this vote from happening.
Joe Gallina, host of the liberal podcast Call To Activism, summed it up bluntly: “It looks like Speaker Johnson is literally slow-walking Adelita Grijalva to her seat. She just won the special election. She, importantly, is that final needed vote on that discharge petition to release the Epstein files and get that vote on the floor, and it looks like Republicans want to delay, delay, maybe so they can pressure other Republicans.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has reportedly no plans to bring lawmakers back next week to conduct business, which observers believe is a clear tactic to push back the vote on the Epstein files. The delay also risks dragging out a potential government shutdown, showing just how much these Republicans are willing to gamble to keep the public in the dark.
Jeffries, agreeing with Gallina’s assessment, was clear-eyed and direct: “There’s reason to believe that House Republicans are trying to push back the swearing in of Representative-elect Grijalva, who is going to be a tremendous representative, following in the footsteps of her legendary father, Chairman Grijalva. And, you know, there’s no controversy as it relates to who won that election. Zero controversy. She won. She won decisively. And what has happened in every other instance is, when there is a clear winner, and Republicans just did this in Florida, in the aftermath of the special elections in April, is swear their members in immediately. And Representative-elect Grijalva should be treated with the same level of respect.”
Jeffries didn’t mince words when discussing the stakes: “And if she’s not treated with that same level of respect, we are going to forcefully use whatever tools are available to us in the Congress to push back and make sure we’re highlighting for the public that this is probably being done because she’s the 218th vote on releasing the Epstein files, which they’ve been hiding from the American people. And they’re frightened to death, clearly, about what’s in them.”
This isn’t just political maneuvering; it’s a blatant attempt to obstruct transparency on one of the most explosive scandals in recent history. With Epstein’s case files potentially holding damning information about powerful figures, delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in is a cynical gambit to keep the truth buried — and it’s a “disgusting new low” for a Congress that’s supposed to serve the public interest, not bury it.
Watch the clip below:
🚨MAJOR BREAKING: Speaker Mike Johnson has been CAUGHT delaying the swearing-in of Rep-Elect Adelita Grijalva – because she’s the 218th vote to RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.
Jeffries: “They’re hiding them from the American people…they’re frightened to death about what’s in them.” pic.twitter.com/JzzzotjNB3
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) September 26, 2025
