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In a major escalation tonight, the attorney general of Arizona and Congresswoman-elect Raúl Grijalva are suing House Speaker Mike Johnson. Lawyers filed the lawsuit at the Great Hall of Arizona, accusing Johnson of refusing to swear in Grijalva, who won the election nearly a month ago..
At first glance, the legal challenge might seem procedural, but it connects directly to one of Washington’s most controversial issues, the release of the full Jeffrey Epstein files. Grijalva’s seat holds the crucial final vote needed for a bipartisan move known as a discharge petition. The petition would bypass Speaker Johnson and force a vote to make the Epstein files public. Johnson, however, has repeatedly delayed Grijalva’s swearing-in, drawing criticism from both parties.
He has defended the delay, saying he will schedule the ceremony once Democrats move to reopen the government. Johnson said she deserves the full pomp and circumstance and added that Grijalva’s family should be present in the gallery during her swearing-in. “We don’t schedule things for pro forma,” he insisted.
Grijalva fired back, accusing Johnson of stalling to protect high-powered individuals connected to Epstein. “He’s refusing to swear me in to keep those files sealed,” she said earlier this week. Johnson dismissed the claim with a brief remark: “Bless her heart. She’s a representative-elect. She doesn’t know how it works around here.” Critics described his tone as dismissive and condescending and argued that swearing in is a fundamental democratic right.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who joined the lawsuit, wrote in the filing, “Speaker Johnson has not identified any valid reason for refusing to promptly seat Ms. Grijalva. On information and belief, Speaker Johnson wishes to delay seating her to prevent her from signing a discharge petition that would force a vote on the release of the Epstein files.”
Johnson responded moments ago, saying, “We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. We’re following precedent. She’s looking for national publicity, and apparently she’s gotten some. Good luck with it.”
Yet, the controversy isn’t confined to Democrats. Several Republicans are also pushing for the Epstein files to be released. They see Grijalva’s pending vote as a key step. “It baffles me,” one GOP lawmaker said. “This should be the easiest thing to do, stand up for women and children who were victims of sex trafficking and abuse. I can’t understand why this has become one of the biggest fights in Washington.”
Tonight, with bipartisan frustration mounting and a lawsuit now underway, Speaker Johnson faces growing pressure to act. Whether he swears in Grijalva or not, the battle over the Epstein files, and the secrets they might expose, has taken center stage in Washington.
She’s absolutely right about that. The development comes on the same day that Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, written by the most high-profile Jeffrey Epstein accuser, was released. Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year after enduring decades of trauma and public scrutiny. Before that tragic moment, she had documented the unimaginable abuse she suffered at the hands of Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who, meanwhile, is now serving time for sex trafficking.
Giuffre’s Chilling Testimony and Unnamed Power Figures
In her memoir, Giuffre writes that her abuse came from “a multitude of powerful men.” Among them, she describes a gubernatorial candidate who later won election in a western state and a former U.S. senator. “Epstein rarely introduced me to these men by name,” she explained. “I only learned who some of them were years later when I studied photographs of his associates and recognized their faces.”
Giuffre even detailed abuse involving a prime minister. “He wasn’t interested in affection,” she wrote. “What he desired was violence. He repeatedly choked me until I lost consciousness, taking pleasure in my fear for life. Each time he hurt me, laughter followed, and my begging only seemed to excite him further.”
Demand for Accountability and Transparency Grows
The accounts are horrifying. It’s difficult to read such passages, let alone imagine enduring them. Yet none of the men Giuffre identified have been held accountable. Many continue to move freely in elite social circles. Their friends may suspect or even know the truth, but they look away. Critics say this silence is unacceptable and that real justice requires full transparency.
Calls to release the Epstein files have grown louder. Lawmakers across party lines argue that this should not be one of Washington’s most divisive battles. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has said the same, insisting that victims deserve closure. Speaker Mike Johnson, however, has resisted these efforts and is now on the defensive.
Political Divide Over the Epstein Files
Speaking to Politico earlier today, Johnson said, “The bipartisan House Oversight Committee is already accomplishing what the discharge petition sought, and much more.” However, members of the committee strongly dispute that claim. In fact, they argue that the statement is misleading. According to them, the documents released so far represent only a small fraction of the total evidence. Moreover, they insist that true transparency requires releasing every file in full.
According to Representatives Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican, the released materials amount to just one gigabyte of data, barely 1/300th of the 300 gigabytes of files the FBI says exist. Most of what has been made public was already known.
Power, Delay, and the Fight for Disclosure
Johnson knows this. Yet he continues to insist that he supports transparency. “If it hits 218, it comes to the floor, that’s how it works,” he said, referring to the number of signatures required to force a vote. But that explanation rings hollow. Congresswoman-elect Raúl Grijalva holds the 218th vote but cannot sign the petition because Johnson has delayed her swearing-in.
And that delay, critics say, isn’t about procedure. It’s about power, and about keeping the Epstein files sealed for a little longer.
Congress Delays Swearing-In
Grijalva herself said it best. “So this has nothing to do with the Epstein files, then? Swear me in,” she told me, challenging Speaker Johnson’s reasoning directly.
Arizona’s Democratic Attorney General, Chris Mayes, is also taking action. Alongside Congresswoman-elect Grijalva, she has filed a lawsuit against the House of Representatives for refusing to seat Grijalva. This marks Mayes’s first public interview since filing the case.
“Attorney General Mayes, thank you for your time,” I began. “You’ve just filed this suit, and Speaker Johnson has already responded. He called it, quote, ‘patently absurd.’ He said, ‘We run the House. She has no jurisdiction.’ How do you respond to that?”
Mayes didn’t hesitate. “We’re asking the court to declare that if Mike Johnson refuses to do his job, then a judge, or any qualified official under the law, can swear her in,” she explained. “Johnson could end this tomorrow. The people of Arizona duly elected Adelaide Grijalva. However, 813,000 Arizonans are now paying taxes without representation because Johnson refuses to swear her in.
Her frustration was clear. “We didn’t want to file this lawsuit,” she continued. “But it’s been four weeks since she was elected. Four weeks where she hasn’t been able to do her job or serve her constituents. Her district is dealing with flooding. Veterans need assistance. People are struggling with Social Security issues. And still, she’s been sidelined. It’s time. Time’s up.”
Mayes’s comments underscore the broader constitutional stakes. At its core, this fight isn’t only about one congressional seat, it’s about representation, accountability, and the right of voters to have their voices heard in Washington.
Dispute Over 218th Signature and Epstein Files Release Intensifies in U.S. House
When asked how soon a judge could intervene, Attorney General Mayes didn’t hesitate. “Seat her right away,” she said. “We hope the court moves quickly so Adelaide Grijalva can finally take the oath of office.”
I asked whether this could realistically happen within a day or two, or if it was more about setting a legal precedent until Speaker Johnson acted. Mayes replied firmly, “I wish Johnson would do it right now. The congresswoman-elect is in D.C. at this very moment. He could walk over to her office and swear her in himself.”
According to Mayes, her office has already taken the next step. “We’re asking a judge in Washington, D.C., to declare that she’s eligible to be sworn in,” she said. “If Speaker Johnson and the Republican-led House refuse to do it, then the court can authorize another official to perform the swearing-in.”
When asked whether she had spoken directly with Speaker Johnson, Mayes shook her head. “Sadly, no,” she said. “All we’ve heard are his comments on programs like yours. He hasn’t responded to our letters or calls.”
Eight days earlier, Mayes had sent Johnson a formal letter warning that a lawsuit would follow if he failed to act. That warning went unanswered. “He’s essentially thumbing his nose at 813,000 Arizonans who have no representative right now,” she said. “That’s unacceptable. It violates the Constitution and it violates the law.”
Mayes’s frustration was evident. To her, this is more than a political standoff, it’s a constitutional crisis. “Every day he delays, Arizonans are denied their voice in Congress,” she concluded. “That cannot stand.”
