‘Why Can’t You Seat Her?’ CNBC Host Grills Mike Johnson Over His Refusal to Seat Democrat Amid Lawsuit Threat
CNBC’s Rebecca Quick confronted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) over his refusal to seat Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva amid the threat of a lawsuit from Arizon’s attorney general.
Johnson joined CNBC’s Squawk Box on Thursday morning, where Quick asked the Republican leader why he has not sworn in the elected Democrat after her victory in an Arizona special election.
“I realize Congress is not in session, but it’s been more than 3 weeks, and all the representatives in the House are being paid right now. Why can’t you see her?” Quick asked.
“Well, not all the members of the house are being paid,” Johnson said.
“Well, some of them have chosen not to take a paycheck, they are all under law allowed to receive a paycheck,” Quick shot back.
She noted that Arizona’s attorney general has threatened to sue Johnson for taxation without representation over his failure to swear in the state’s full delegation. Johnson has argued that he cannot seat Grijalva until the government is reopened and Democrats agree to a continuing resolution funding deal.
“They are saying that this is a huge amount of politics, you’re using this as leverage by not cheating them and Arizona is saying this is taxation without representation,” Quick told Johnson.
“Yeah, I’m shocked that there’s another Democrat politician from Arizona seeking publicity right now. Now the state AG is involved,” Johnson said.
“You haven’t seated their full delegation,” Quick pointed out.
“She’s going to sue me, I’m sure,” Johnson continued.
“She’s not going to sue you. The attorney general of Arizona is going to sue you for their people not being able to be fully represented,” Quick said.
“No, that’s who I’m referring to, I know, and she wants publicity, too, and it’s all a farce. Let me tell you what’s happening here. The Rep.-elect Grijalva was elected after the House went out of session. So I have said this repeatedly, I’m delighted to administer the oath to her as soon as we get back to legislative session. The people who are preventing us from doing that, ironically, are the two Democrat senators from Arizona,” Johnson said, referring to Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
Some critics have argued Johnson refusing to seat Grijalva is due to the fact that she would likely be another vote in favor of Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) legislation to release more files related to late child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson argued, however, that he is using a “precedent” set up his predecessor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
“I’m following right now the Pelosi precedent,” he said. “When my dear friend and colleague from Louisiana, Julia Letlow, in very similar circumstances was elected to fill in a special election to fill the seat of her late husband who passed, died because of COVID, Nancy Pelosi took 25 days to administer the oath.”
Watch above via CNBC.
