Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) took aim at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Tuesday for refusing to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva amid the prolonged government shutdown.
“Speaker Johnson is just a little creep, and he’s acting like a creep when it comes to this,” Gallego said on MSNBC, adding that the Republican leader is constantly changing his reasoning for not swearing in the Democratic congresswoman-elect.
Johnson has attributed the delay to the shutdown, which prevents the House from participating in a full legislative session. The House is currently in recess while the Senate debates each party’s short-term funding resolution.
The House speaker says it is typically customary to swear in members-elect when the full House is present for legislative business, although he did swear in two Florida Republicans during a brief pro forma session in April because their families were in town.
Gallego said Johnson is potentially motivated by the bipartisan discharge petition that would force a full vote on the release of the files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The petition needs at least 218 signatures before the matter can be taken to a vote.
Grijalva intends to sign the petition, which is one signature short of the threshold.
“He is doing this because he wants to cover up for the president and the pedophiles on Epstein’s list,” Gallego said, “and the only way that he can do that is to make sure that Adelita Grijalva doesn’t become the 218th person to sign this discharge petition. That’s it. That’s the only reason why.”
Earlier Tuesday, Gallego and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) approached Johnson on Capitol Hill to discuss Grijalva’s situation.
“You just keep coming up with excuses,” Gallego told Johnson while reporters recorded the encounter.
In response, the speaker said his decision not to swear in Grijalva had “nothing to do with Epstein,” and that the allegation was “totally absurd.” He also called the confrontation a “publicity stunt.”
Grijalva won the special election late last month to succeed her late father, Raul Grijalva. Arizona state officials certified her victory on Tuesday, and they threatened to pursue legal action against Johnson if he fails to swear in Adelita Grijalva or provide a “reasonable explanation” as to when the ceremony will occur.
“Ms. Grijalva was elected with nearly 70% of the vote, and unofficial results were provided to you by the Arizona Secretary of State,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote in a letter. “Ms. Grijalva and the State expected that you would follow your usual practice and swear her into office at the earliest opportunity, just as you had done with five previous members elected in special elections.”
“You and your staff have provided ever-shifting, unsatisfactory, and sometimes absurd stories as to why Ms. Grijalva has not been sworn in,” she added. “Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of [Arizona’s 7th congressional district] 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.”
Other Democrats beyond those in Arizona are also calling on Johnson to act.
ARIZONA OFFICIALS THREATEN JOHNSON WITH LEGAL ACTION IF HE DOES NOT SWEAR IN GRIJALVA
“Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva should be sworn in now,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) previously told reporters. “It should have happened this week, should have happened last week. It needs to happen next week.”
Notably, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took 25 days to swear in Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), who won a 2021 special election to replace her late husband. It’s been 21 days since Adelita Grijalva won her special election.
