Reactions started rolling in on Wednesday after an awkward moment between Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after she waited weeks amid the government shutdown to be officially sworn in — more than 40 days after she was elected.
Grijalva, the first Latina American woman to represent Arizona in Congress, was elected to replace her late father. Johnson, who has faced mounting pressure over the shutdown and when he planned to swear in Grijalva, is also confronting questions over an alleged attempt to block the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
In her speech, Grijalva vowed to be the 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Social media users responded to the tense encounter between the two lawmakers:
"Adelita Grijalva was playing no games with Mike Johnson he was red AF," author and educator Kimi Wilson wrote on X.
"Johnson to reporters just now as he poses for photo w/ new Rep. Grijalva: “I really like this lady, and she’s gonna make an excellent member of Congress," Courthouse News reporter Benjamin S. Weiss wrote on X.
"Rep. Adelita Grijalva called Mike Johnson blocking her swearing in 'an abuse of power.' 'One individual should not be able to unitaterally obstruct the swearing in of a duly elected member of Congress,'" Kyle Griffin, executive producer of The Weeknight on MSNBC, wrote on X.
"Speaker Johnson finally did his job and swore in Adelita Grijalva, who was elected OVER a month ago. Next order of business? Release the full Epstein files and give Adelita’s constituents the representation that they deserve in Congress," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote on X.
"Not the most important thing, but kinda feels like Mike Johnson refusing to swear in Rep. Grijalva backfired spectacularly. He could have done that quietly anytime over the last 50 days. Instead, he does it on the House floor where she delivers an absolute barnburner of a speech everyone will see," actor and comedian Mike Pusateri wrote on Bluesky.
"For 7 weeks Johnson stonewalled, delayed, and twisted himself in knots to justify not swearing in Adelita Grijalva. He disenfranchised over 800,000 Arizonans, depriving them of their voice in Congress, and blocked the vote to release the Epstein files. His behavior was shameful," Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote on Bluesky.