Grijalva Finally Sworn In, Adds Final Signature Needed on Discharge Petition to Release Epstein Files

Sarah RumpfNov 12th, 2025, 4:18 pm
 

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) can now finally call herself a member of Congress, after a 50-day delay, and has signed a much-anticipated petition for a vote to release files on deceased child sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

On Wednesday, Grijalva was able to drop the “Rep.-elect” moniker that has preceded her name since she won a special election on Sept. 23 to succeed her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) in representing Arizona’s 7th district. The elder Grijalva passed away on March 13.

House Republicans dragged their feet on letting Grijalva officially join their ranks, using the government shutdown as an excuse. Grijalva and her supporters have openly speculated that the delay is driven by the fact that she would be the 218th signature in the House for a petition to vote to release the Epstein files.

With the support of all previously elected House Democrats and several Republicans, the petition was one signature short without Grijalva.

The deal to end the government shutdown meant that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) could not put off swearing in Grijalva any more, and Wednesday brought several news reports that the White House had been putting intense pressure on several House Republicans, including Lauren Boebert (R-CO), to flip and revoke their signatures.

Grijalva was jubilant ahead of her swearing-in, posting a link to the C-SPAN video feed and writing, “It’s finally happening!”

However, as several commentators have pointed out, the House discharge petition is not the final step for the release of the files. It would still need to pass the Senate — and get the signature of President Donald Trump.

“The White House has put a lot of stock in this discharge petition for reasons that are not entirely clear to me,” wrote Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman. “The Senate has to pass it — who knows if that will happen. The president has to sign it — he won’t. And if he vetoes, Congress almost certainly would not be able to override a veto.”

CNN confirmed that Grijalva had officially added her signature to the discharge petition, hitting the 218 threshold and meaning the full vote must come to the House floor.

This is a breaking news story and has been updated with additional information.

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.