Newly Elected Dem Rep Torches Mike Johnson to His Face

House Speaker Mike Johnson has been roasted by the congresswoman who waited nearly two months for him to swear her in.

Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, 55, finally got her moment with Johnson on Wednesday after the House returned.

Grijalva, whose vote was instrumental in releasing the latest trove of Epstein emails, told CNN on Tuesday that Johnson’s refusal to swear her in during the shutdown was “undemocratic, unconstitutional, and illegal.”

The pair finally had an awkward moment in front of the cameras during Grijalva’s swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.

After she posed next to Johnson with her hand on the Bible, an aide took the book and said “handshake”. Grijalva stared at Johnson while they shook hands, until he broke her gaze and told her to look at the cameras, still uncomfortably gripping each other.

U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) participate in a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol Building on November 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A reporter then asked “Why’d it take so long to get sworn in?”

Grijalva gestured both her hands towards Johnson, noting “That would be another… that would not be my question.”

Johnson, 53, put his hand on Grijalva’s shoulder and deflected, saying, “Look, I really like this lady. She’s gonna be an excellent member of Congress. She’s a great person.”

She is succeeding her father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who passed away in March after complications from treatment for lung cancer.

Johnson continued to dodge the question, stating, “I just told her on the way in she fills her father’s shoes… she’s gonna try, no one can… he was a giant around here, served a long time… she has a proud family legacy and we’re delighted to have her here.”

He finally said, “She may not agree with me, but we follow the custom of the House on the timetable. But she’s here now, I promised we would have the oath administered before we began legislative business so she hasn’t missed a boat.”

U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), accompanied by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), gestures in response to a reporter's question during a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol Building on November 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. — U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), accompanied by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), gestures in response to a reporter’s question during a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol Building on November 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The House Speaker added, “You know more than most because your dad was here a long time.”

Grijalva clarified, “I visited, I never did this job, so this is brand spanking new, so I will take the offer of help.”

As the pair walked out of the media call, a reporter asked “What is your message to the Speaker?” Grijalva stated, “I gave it to him.”

After being sworn in by Johnson, Grijalva took no prisoners in her speech.

“It has been 50 days since the people of Arizona’s seventh congressional district elected me to represent them,” she said. “50 days that over 800,000 Arizonans have been left without access to the basic services that every constituent deserves. This is an abuse of power.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to brief the media on the timeline to possibly end the government shutdown in the Capitol Visitor Center on Monday, November 10, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

“One individual should not be able to unilaterally obstruct the swearing in of a duly elected member of Congress for political resent,” she added, without mentioning Johnson by name.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit last month to try and force Johnson to swear Grijalva.

Grijalva was asked about her long-awaited meeting with Johnson on The Briefing with Jen Psaki on Wednesday.

“He said this was nothing personal. I said, it sure did feel personal,” she told the MSNBC host.

“I was not able to do my job. But now, today is the first day that we can actually go and lease office space and open up constituent services… And honestly, I feel very glad that I was able to get out publicly everything that many people have been toiling around, including myself, about the situation that we’ve been put in for the last 50 days.”

Her first action after being sworn in was to sign a discharge petition introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna to force the release of files related to Epstein.

Grijalva became the 218th and final signature on the petition, with Johnson stating on Wednesday that he would bring the Epstein bill to the House for a vote next week.

The vote was previously not likely to happen until December before Johnson’s involvement. It still needs to clear the Senate to be enacted.

Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida on February 22, 1997. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images) — Epstein spoke at length about Trump with Michael Wolff in August 2017, when the author was researching his bombshell bestseller ‘Fire and Fury’ at the time. “I was Donald’s closest friend for 10 years,” Epstein told the author. Davidoff Studios/Getty Images

“It’s past time for Congress to restore its role as a check and balance on this administration and fight for we, the American people,” Grijalva said during her speech on Wednesday.

“That is why I will sign the discharge petition right now to release the Epstein files, adding “Justice cannot wait another day.”

She told The Briefing she could not understand how the Epstein files had become politicized.

“You’re not going to protect pedophiles,” Grijalva said. “You’re not going to protect people who continue to assault, victimize, harm girls and women, children. I mean, you’re just not. That should be a non-partisan issue.”

“The fact that we’re sitting around saying Democrats are pushing for this, it shouldn’t be Democrats. All of us should be beyond appalled that anyone would stand in the way of finding out who is responsible and making sure they have justice.”

The House Oversight Committee’s release of more emails from the Epstein files caused headaches for the president on Wednesday, with emails from the sex offender mentioning Trump by name.

Epstein referred to Trump a “maniac” with signs of “early dementia,” and said there was “not one decent cell in his body.”

Trump ignored a question about Epstein after signing the bill that officially ended the government shutdown on Wednesday.

The post Newly Elected Dem Rep Torches Mike Johnson to His Face appeared first on The Daily Beast.

Newly Elected Dem Rep Torches Mike Johnson to His Face

My kids’ grandparents live far away. We make sure to FaceTime at least once a week and see them 4 to 5 times a year.

Epstein Offered Reporter Pics of ‘Dirty Donald’ With Girls in Bikinis in His Kitchen

The Shutdown Is Over. But for Federal Workers, the Anxiety Persists.

William Kennedy, Albany’s Bard, Reads a Story With Legs

Will People Trust Voting by Phone? Alaska Is Going to Find Out.

‘Now You See Me’ sequel vanishes from memory before it’s even over

A six-figure eBay seller who started his side hustle with $0 explains how he sources profitable products

So long, penny. The Treasury has officially stopped producing one-cent coins.