Trump, Epstein files thwart swearing-in of Arizona lawmaker

Last month, in a special election, voters in southern Arizona chose Adelita Grijalva to succeed her late father in Congress.

The outcome in the solidly Democratic district was never in doubt. The final tally was not close at all.

Grijalva, a Tucson native and former Pima County supervisor, crushed her Republican opponent, 69 percent to 29 percent.

People were talking loudly and insistently, and normally that would have been it. Grijalva would have already taken office, allowing him to serve his orphaned constituents by filling a House seat vacant since his father’s death in March, after representing parts of Arizona for more than 20 years.

But these are not normal times. It’s a time when everything, including the time of day and the weather, has become politically charged.

Grijalva therefore lives in limbo. Or rather, at her campaign headquarters in Tucson, since she was locked out of her congressional office on Capitol Hill — the one her father used, and which now has his name on a plaque outside. President Mike Johnson refused him entry.

“It’s pretty horrible,” Grijalva said in an interview, “because whether I’m in official capacity or not, voters elected me and people are contacting me on all social media.

“‘I have a question,'” they tell Grijalva, or “‘I’m afraid I’m going to get fired,’ or ‘We need some kind of help.’

All she can do is refer them to Arizona’s two U.S. senators.

House members are scattered across the country during the partial government shutdown, and Johnson said he couldn’t swear Grijalva in during a pro forma session, a time when normal business — legislative debate, roll-call votes — is not taking place. “We have to have everyone here,” Johnson said, “and we will swear him in.”

But there you have it, dear reader, are you seated?

It turns out that two Republican lawmakers were elected this year in special elections, each as is the case in Florida. Both took the oath the next day… when pro forma sessions!

Shocked? Don’t be. In the Trump era, rules and norms are applied very differently depending on the political party involved.

But partisanship aside, what possible reason would Johnson have for delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in? Here’s a clue: He’s a convicted sex trafficker and former friend of President Trump, whose foul odor trails him like the stinking carcass of a beached whale.

Yes, it’s the late Jeffrey Epstein!

“On my very first day in Congress, I will sign the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on the release of the Epstein files,” Grijalva said on the eve of his landslide election. “This is as much about fulfilling Congress’s duty to oversee the constitutionality of this administration as it is about demanding justice for survivors.”

Jeffrey Epstein. Gone but truly unforgettable.

For years, his perversions have been an obsession among those, primarily on the right, who believe a “deep state” cover-up protected the rich and powerful who associated with the women Epstein recruited. After Trump’s puppet Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that a client list was on her desk, awaiting release, the Justice Department abruptly changed course.

No such list existed, he announced, and Epstein definitely committed suicide and was not, as conspiracy theorists suggest, murdered by those who wanted to silence him.

Trump, who rubbed shoulders with Epstein, urged everyone to move forward. Naturally, Johnson immediately fell for the trap. (Bondi, for his part, tap-danced during a contentious Senate hearing last week, repeatedly dodging questions about the Epstein-Trump relationship, including whether there are photos of the president alongside “half-naked young women.”)

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican lawmaker and persistent Trump irritant, and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna led the bipartisan effort to force the Justice Department to cough up unclassified government files on Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend and fellow sex trafficker.

The discharge petition, overcoming objections from Trump and Johnson and forcing the House to vote on disclosing the records, requires at least 218 signatures, constituting a majority of the 435 members. The petition has been blocked for weeks, just one signature away from ratification.

Enter Grijalva.

Or not.

Johnson, who may simply be delaying an inevitable House vote to curry favor with Trump, insists the Epstein affair has “nothing to do” with his refusal to seat Grivalja.

It’s true.

And planets don’t orbit the sun, hot air doesn’t rise, and gravity doesn’t bring falling leaves to Earth.

More than 200 Democratic House members signed the petition, along with four Republicans: Massie and Reps. Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The latter three are all MAGA stalwarts who courageously broke ranks with Trump to defend the truth and the victims of Epstein’s ravages.

“Aren’t we all against convicted pedophiles and all those who enable them? Greene asked in an interview with Axios.

Most are, one might assume. But apparently not everyone.