Balgarianovinite.com
Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) unleashed fifty days of frustration in her first speech from the House floor after she was finally sworn into office on Wednesday, blasting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for the delay and calling it an “abuse of power.”
Grijalva was able to drop the “Rep.-elect” moniker that has preceded her name since she won a special election on Sept. 23 to succeed her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) in representing Arizona’s 7th district. The elder Grijalva passed away on March 13.
House Republicans dragged their feet on letting Grijalva officially join their ranks, using the government shutdown as an excuse. Grijalva and her supporters have openly speculated that the delay was driven by the fact that she would be the 218th signature in the House for a petition to vote to release the Epstein files.
Wednesday afternoon, Johnson swore in Grijalva and she delivered an impassioned speech before signing the discharge petition.
After emotionally thanking her supporters, family, fellow Democrats, and Arizonans, Grijalva commented that “while we celebrate this moment today, our American promise is under serious threat.”
“Basic freedoms are under attack,” she continued. “Healthcare premiums are skyrocketing, babies are being ripped away from their parents by masked agents. We can and must do better.”
What was “most concerning,” Grijalva said, was “what the majority in this body has failed to do: hold [President Donald] Trump accountable as a co-equal branch of government that we are.”
She then addressed the 50-day delay and the Epstein files:
It has been 50 days since the people of Arizona’s seventh congressional district elected me to represent them, 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! One individual should not be able to unilaterally obstruct the swearing in of a duly-elected member of congress for political reasons.
Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice. This includes the millions of people across the country who have experienced violence and exploitation, including Liz Stein and Jessica Michaels, both survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. They are here in the gallery with us this evening. Thank you for being here.
Just this morning, House Democrats released more emails showing that Trump knew more about Epstein’s abuses than he previously acknowledged.
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. We need to fight for our immigrant communities and veterans. We need to stand up for our public schools, children, and educators. We need to respect tribal sovereignty and our environment. We need to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights, because that’s what the American people expect us to do — fight for them.
That is why I will sign the discharge petition right now to release the Epstein files. Justice cannot wait another day.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
The post New Arizona Democrat Scorches Speaker Johnson in First Speech After She’s Finally Sworn In: ‘Abuse of Power!’ first appeared on Mediaite.
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