The House took a major step Wednesday toward a vote on forcing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, with the long-awaited swearing-in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
Why it matters: Grijalva, who was elected in September to succeed her late father, faced a historic 50-day delay in getting sworn in — a holdup that Democrats alleged was aimed at delaying the Epstein vote.
- Shortly after taking the oath of office, Grijalva signed the discharge petition, introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), seeking release of the Epstein files, providing the necessary 218th signature to trigger a vote.
- Her swearing in comes hours after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released new emails, including one from 2019 in which Epstein alleged that President Trump "knew about the girls."
State of play: Grijalva's signature started the clock on a vote to force release of the files relating to the Justice Department's investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender.
- Trump and House GOP leaders oppose such a move.
The latest: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Wednesday evening that he plans a floor vote on the petition next week.
- Typically, a discharge petition must sit for seven legislative days to "ripen," at which point House Republican leadership will be forced to bring a vote within two legislative days.
- But Johnson procedurally can omit the waiting period, according to his office.
- He has previously said he will allow an up-or-down vote, rather than tuck language into an unrelated procedural motion to quash the effort as he has done in previous instances.
The other side: Johnson denied that he delayed Grijalva's swearing-in over the Epstein files, arguing he followed precedent because the House was out of session after her special election.
- He cited former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) 25-day delay in swearing in Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) in March 2021. The House was not in session during that time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- He also said Grijalva should receive all of the "pomp and circumstance" that's part of the ceremony, such as having her family present.
Yes, but: Members have been sworn in during a House recess before, including Florida GOP Reps. Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis, who took office just 24 hours after they were elected in April.
- "There was an exception for two Floridians earlier in this Congress," Johnson told ABC News in October. "But the reason was, they were duly elected. They had a date set. They flew in all their friends and family, and the House went out of session unexpectedly."
The bottom line: Grijalva had to wait longer than any other special election winner in more than a decade to get sworn in.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
