House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has finally set a date to swear in Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), weeks after she was elected to her seat, his office announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: The development marks the end of a 50-day-long standoff between Johnson and Democrats, who accused the House speaker of dragging his feet to prevent a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
- Grijalva has pledged to be the final signature on a discharge petition that would trigger a vote on forcing the Justice Department to release documents from its case against the late convicted sex offender and billionaire financier.
- Johnson and the White House have pushed back against that effort, which has support from mostly Democrats and a handful of Republicans.
Driving the news: Johnson will perform Grijalva's ceremonial swearing in at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday at 4pm ET, his office said in a statement.
- The event will occur just before the House begins taking votes to reopen the government after a nearly 7-week long shutdown — in which Johnson has kept the House out of session.
- Democrats had tried repeatedly to get Grijalva sworn in during the House's pro forma sessions — which are typically brief and contain little substantive business — but had been unsuccessful.
- The delay will have been the longest in more than a decade, per Axios' Jessica Boehm.
What they're saying: "I am planning to travel to Washington, D.C., after hearing through Leader Jeffries and media reports that Speaker Johnson finally intends to swear me in," Grijalva said in a statement yesterday.
- The 55-year-old former local legislator won a decisive special election victory on Sept. 23 to succeed her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
- Johnson said Monday on CNN, "Just as I promised, as soon as we get back to legislative session, so I mean, before we have this vote that we're talking about, she'll be administered to the oath."
Go deeper: Arizona AG sues over Speaker Johnson's refusal to swear in Grijalva
