Arizona’s AG Sends Letter to Johnson Demanding He Swear In State’s New House Member

Screenshot via CSPAN

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) has threatened legal action against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for delaying the swearing in of the state’s newest U.S. representative.

At the time of writing, democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva had yet to be sworn in to the House of Representatives. Grijalva won a September special election after the seat was vacated when her father, former Rep. Raul Grijalva, died battling cancer months earlier.

The newly elected representative has been vocal in her support of the release of information on the case of deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. With her swearing in, she’d be a crucial vote in an attempt to force the House to release the files.

Johnson has been accused of deliberately delaying her swearing-in to prevent the release of the Epstein files. When confronted, however, the speaker insisted that Grijalva was welcome to be sworn in whenever she requested. Her requests had gone unanswered.

On Tuesday, Hayes published a letter to Johnson demanding Grijalva be sworn in to officially take her seat in the House. The attorney general added:

Failing to seat Ms. Grijalva immediately or to otherwise provide a reasonable explanation as to when she will be seated will prompt legal action. The House of Representatives’ uniquely democratic function makes frustrating the will of the voters in selecting their representative particularly egregious.

Hayes also slammed Johnson and his staff for providing “ever-shifting, unsatisfactory, and sometimes absurd stories as to why Ms. Grijalva has not been sworn in.”

Additionally, Hayes demanded a response within two days of the letter’s publication.