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For more than a year Americans have been told Trump will release the Epstein files. Finally, names. Finally, some truth. Yeah right, OVER MIKE JOHNSON’S DEAD BODY. The Speaker of the House has spent months personally blocking this. And his most recent gambit, refusing to swear in a congresswoman-elect who won her election in a landslide, is among the most egregious assaults on democracy our country has ever seen. Time to log on.
Arizona elected Adelita Grijalva to Congress on September 23rd. She crushed her opponent with nearly 70% of the vote. She promised that her very first act after being sworn in would be signing the discharge petition to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files. Her signature would be the 218th e.g., the magic number that tips it over the edge.
But she hasn’t been sworn in. Not because of any rule or law, but because Johnson refuses to do it. Three weeks ago, after failing to keep the government open, Johnson abruptly called a recess and snuck out of town without completing this requirement.
Setting aside the deviousness of his rush from the Capitol to avoid Grijalva three weeks ago, one need only go back six months to see how this was supposed to work. Two Republicans (Patronis and Fine) won special elections during April recess and guess what happened. Within 24 hours, Johnson himself swore them in during the pro forma session.
So this isn’t about process. It’s about power. About keeping one woman’s vote (and the public’s right to know) off the board. The Speaker of the House is denying representation to over 800,000 Arizona residents to protect the powerful men whose names might be in those files. Full stop.
The timeline of events here would almost be laughable if it weren’t such a slap in the face to American democracy. First, Johnson said he’d swear her in “as soon as she wants.” Hours later, his office backtracked. Then, they blamed “committee balance.” Then “timing.” Then, they linked her swearing-in to Senate Democrats ending the government shutdown, literally using Arizona’s constitutional right to representation as a bargaining chip in budget negotiations.
When confronted about the double standard, Johnson’s excuse shifted again: he claimed Patronis and Fine got special treatment because “their family and friends were here” and votes had been suddenly canceled. But Johnson had already canceled the September 29-30 votes before Grijalva even won her election. Every excuse contradicts the last. Every explanation insults our intelligence.
Sign the petition demanding Mike Johnson swear in Rep. Grijalva ASAP!
Cut to Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego who confronted Johnson face-to-face in the Capitol hallways last week telling Johnson to “stop covering up for the pedophiles.” Johnson called it “totally absurd.” But what explanation remains? Why break with centuries of American democratic norms in such a brazen fashion now? Exactly one thing would change if Grijalva was sworn in today: the Epstein files would be released. That’s it. She can’t end the shutdown or lower health care premiums alone. But she can expose the wealthy sex criminals who Trump’s Justice Department has been covering up.
What’s Johnson so afraid of? What’s in those files that’s worth violating the constitutional rights of over 800,000 people? That’s worth the Arizona Attorney General threatening to sue? That’s worth Kris Mayes giving him a two-day ultimatum and warning of “judicial relief”?
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The answer doesn’t really matter anymore. Because whatever’s inside, Johnson already made his choice: he’s weaponizing his power to protect predators at the expense of democracy.
Grijalva can’t access her office. Can’t hire staff. Can’t help constituents dealing with flooding disasters in her district. She’s a tourist in the building where her father served for 22 years. All because Mike Johnson knows that the moment she raises her right hand, 218 signatures will force a vote he’s desperate to avoid.
And that should terrify every single one of us. Because if Speakers can simply refuse to seat inconvenient election winners, if they can deny representation to nearly a million Americans to protect their criminal friends, then voting doesn’t matter. Winning doesn’t matter. The will of the people doesn’t matter.
Only power matters. And right now, Mike Johnson is giving a master class on how to abuse his.
What do you think of Mike Johnson’s abuse of power and democracy? Drop it in the comments and let’s build our own counter-narrative together to hold these hypocrites accountable.
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