Speaker Mike Johnson encountered a heated, face-to-face exchange with Democratic senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly on Wednesday, which was centered around the government shutdown and the swearing-in of Arizona’s Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva, who is an integral part of efforts to access Epstein-related documents. The situation highlighted growing tensions between House GOP leadership and Senate Democrats, with allegations of attempting to cover up for pedophiles and manipulating votes on tax credits.
Gallego and Kelly were speaking to reporters outside Johnson’s office when they criticized the speaker’s failure to swear in Grijalva. House GOP leadership has stated they will proceed with her swearing-in when the House resumes for votes. However, Gallego accused Johnson of wanting to ‘cover up for pedophiles on the Epstein list’ and of ‘putting his members in a really rough position when it comes to voting and extending these ACA tax credits.’
Johnson responded by claiming he hasn’t scheduled Grij,alva’s swearing-in because she was elected after the House was out of session, unlike some previous examples. He also made it clear he wouldn’t bring the House back to session and therefore swear in Grijalva until Senate Democrats vote to reopen the government and pass a clean, short-term stopgap through November 21.
‘So I am anxious to administer the oath to her, as soon as you guys vote to open up the government,’ Johnson said to Kelly and Gallego at one point. However, Kelly and Gallego argued that Johnson had previously sworn in two Florida Republicans during a previous pro forma session, which they argued should precede Grijalva’s oath. In response, Gallego retorted, ‘You don’t want to be on the Epstein discharge,’ to which Johnson quickly replied, ‘That’s totally absurd. You guys are experts in red herrings… It has nothing to do with Epstein.’
The confrontation underscores the deepening political divide as both parties struggle to find common ground on critical legislative issues. While the Epstein documents remain a point of contention, the broader implications of the shutdown and the government’s operational status continue to loom over the nation’s political landscape. This development is a stark reminder of how the political dynamics in Congress can impact the broader political environment, affecting not only the legislative agenda but also the public’s trust in the government.