Republicans are running out of excuses for refusing to swear in Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva.
Ohio Representative Jim Jordan was left grasping at straws to explain away the delay during an interview with CNN’s The Source Tuesday night. While claiming that Grijalva couldn’t possibly enter the lower chamber due to Congress’s current pro forma session, he also admitted that he forgot that two of his Republican colleagues were sworn in during a pro forma session in April, just one day after they won their special elections.
“There’s two people on the floor, or, you know, whatever, there’s—but normally, it’s done in front of the full House, so that new member in a special election gets a, I think, in some ways, a kind of a neat experience, where they get to talk to the House, their first day, getting sworn in,” Jordan told CNN. “And that’s happened every single time that I can recall, with any new member elected in a special, in the middle of a congressional session.”
“But a couple months ago, he swore in Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine in a pro forma session,” pressed host Kaitlan Collins.
“I didn’t—I actually didn’t even know that, when they were sworn in,” Jordan said. “But I always remember when it happens, the delegation is up front, and that person is sworn in.”
“Do you think it has anything to do with the discharge petition, and that she could be the 218th signature, for the Jeffrey Epstein files?” asked Collins.
“No, I think it’s—I think it’s—to make the clear point, we have voted to fund the government at levels, all the Democrats supported, and they now won’t support it, because they’re bringing up an issue that, frankly, was not even part of the campaign last year,” Jordan said.
Collins: Is it clear to you why Speaker Johnson has not sworn in the new member, Rep. Grijalva, yet?Jordan: We’re not in sessionCollins: So you’re saying because it’s a pro Forma sessionJordan: YeahCollins: But a couple months ago, he swore in Jimmy Patronis and Randy… pic.twitter.com/77aJmgNkS8
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 8, 2025
Grijalva won the special election in Arizona last month to replace her late father Raul Grijalva, making her the first Latina the Grand Canyon State has sent to Congress. She’s also the last signature that the House needs on a petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
Grijalva had already vowed to sign the bipartisan petition advancing the immediate release of the Epstein files. Just four Republicans have penned their signatures on the petition, demanding more transparency from the Trump administration regarding the investigation into deceased pedophilic sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his potential associates. Those conservative lawmakers include Representatives Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene—the last of whom told NewsNation Tuesday that she’s faced more pressure on the petition than any other issue.
Jordan’s interview was a long clash with Collins, as they also butted heads over health care subsidies, immigration, and government spending.
The post Jim Jordan Loses It as Shutdown Interview Goes off the Rails appeared first on New Republic.
