(NewsNation) — A Democratic representative-elect in Arizona says she is in limbo with her position because of the government shutdown.
“Part of the problem here is that I don’t have a budget,” Adelita Grijalva told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “I don’t have the authority or the privileges or the responsibilities of a duly sworn-in member of Congress.”
Grijalva won a special election two months ago to fill the seat of her late father, longtime U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva. However, she’s been stifled from doing her duties and representing the 800,000 people in her district because she has yet to be sworn in by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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Johnson told Grijalva she can’t do it because the impasse hasn’t been resolved. Making matters more complicated are Johnson’s fellow Republicans, who say he should complete the process.
“If you call the CD7 number right now, it’s my dad’s voice on the voicemail,” Grijalva added. “So we don’t have the capacity to do anything.”
“It’s not like because he was my dad, someone just hands me over the keys. It’s kind of like if your father was a pilot, you don’t automatically get all of the information just poured into your head because of that.”
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As a sworn-in member of Congress, Grijalva would become the 218th vote to discharge the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Democratic members of the House of Representatives have accused Johnson and other Republican lawmakers of delaying a vote on releasing the files. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts suggested Johnson is purposely stalling votes and Grijalva’s swearing-in.
Grijalva told NewsNation’s Vargas she had heard from someone about that specific theory.
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“I didn’t think that initially,” acknowledged Grijalva. “It’s very conspiracy theory. Someone came up to me literally on election night and said, ‘He’s not going to swear you in because of those files.'”
“And I thought, ‘No, that can’t be it.’ And here we are, 41 days today that I have been waiting to be sworn in.”
Adelita Grijalva doesn’t foresee situation going to courts
Grijalva made it clear that she doesn’t anticipate going to a judge to get the order to be sworn in by Johnson.
“I think that’s a dangerous precedent to set,” she said. “We didn’t want to be in this position. I reached out to Johnson’s office two times, left voicemails, and went to his office.”
Grijalva added her team went with a group of Democratic women to the caucus, only to find out Johnson wasn’t there. The Arizona attorney general also sent a demand letter on her behalf that wasn’t responded to.
