Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva will finally be sworn into the House after winning her special election over 7 weeks ago. Many suspect Speaker Mike Johnson delayed her entry because she'd be the 218th vote to release the Epstein files.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/38671945

The financier’s ties to President Donald Trump have led to mounting suspicion, including from fellow Republicans like Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), who have said they plan to join Democrats in voting for the files’ release.

Johnson has managed to delay a vote on the Epstein files for months. In July, as a bipartisan resolution pushed by Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was gaining steam, Johnson sent Congress home early for its August recess, which delayed business until September.

In the final weeks before the shutdown, after a bill to fund the government stalled in the Senate, Johnson sent members home again on September 19, just days before Grijalva’s election would have made her the 218th vote to force an Epstein resolution to the floor.

While Grijalva expressed excitement at finally being sworn in, she said, “this delay never should have happened in the first place.”