U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a press conference on the thirteenth day of the U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
House Democrats marched through the halls to Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R‑La.) office Tuesday evening, chanting in unison: “What is he afraid of? Epstein!” Their protest targets Johnson’s refusal to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D‑Ariz.), despite her election being certified by Arizona officials.
Grijalva, who won a special election to succeed her late father, said Tuesday she has been handed the keys to a congressional office only to find an empty shell.
“I just got keys, but the phone lines aren’t working. There is no internet, no computers. It’s just a space,” she said, per a Capitol Hill reporter.
Critics argue that Johnson’s delay defies precedent and is aimed at thwarting Grijalva’s ability to join a bipartisan discharge petition seeking to force a vote on the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. That petition currently sits one signature shy of reaching the threshold needed to compel a vote, and Grijalva has pledged to lend her support.
Johnson denies the move is politically motivated, saying she will be sworn in “when the House returns to session” and insisting the delay has “nothing to do” with the Epstein files.
Opponents point to earlier instances this year when he promptly administered the oath to Republican members during pro forma sessions — something he has declined to do for Grijalva.
Meanwhile, Arizona's Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes threatened Tuesday to sue Johnson over his refusal to swear in the elected Democrat.
In a demand letter sent upon formal certification of her election, Mayes urged Johnson to “seat Adelita without delay” and warned that her office is “keeping every option open to us, including litigation, to hold him accountable.”