Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, spoke with reporters at length outside of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office. They were calling for Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on Sept. 23 to fill the seat of her late father, to be sworn in while the House is out of session. Democrats have accused Johnson of putting off Grijalva’s swearing-in to delay the final signature on a discharge petition that would force a vote on the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
As Kelly and Gallego were speaking, Johnson exited his office and approached them.
“I’m not blocking her!” Johnson said, telling Kelly and Gallego that there’s “a long tradition here and a process of how we administer the oath.”
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said she would be sworn in once the House returns, and told the senators they should vote to end the government shutdown. When the Democrats noted that two Republicans had previously been sworn in while the House was out of session, Johnson said that was because they had a scheduled swearing-in day and their families were in Washington. Grijalva, Johnson said, has not had her swearing-in scheduled because she was elected after the House went on break on Sept. 19.
“Has nothing to do with Epstein,” Johnson said.
Kelly said the delay is preventing 700,000 people in Arizona from having representation in Congress.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, entered the conversation at one point and told the senators not to lecture them, urging them instead to go vote to reopen the government.
“Nobody’s covering up for a pedophile, so knock it the hell off,” Lawler told Gallego.
After Johnson returned to his office, Kelly remarked, “that was fun!”
Kelly later told reporters he appreciated that Johnson came out to talk to them but dismissed the speaker’s explanation for why Grijalva has not been sworn in.
“If Adelita Grijalva comes here and brings her family, then she can get sworn in?” he said. “Doesn’t make any sense. He’s doing this because he understands that she’s the 218th vote on the discharge petition.”
Posting a reporter’s photo of the interaction to X, Grijalva wrote, “Nothing to see here, right? The people of my district need representation, NOW!”
Caitlin Yilek, Jaala Brown and Nikole Killion
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