'Must Be Nice': House Dem Mike Johnson Reacts to Quick Swearing In of New GOP Member after 7 Week Delay

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who experienced a seven-week delay before officially joining Congress, criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for quickly administering the oath to a newly elected Republican representative from Tennessee.

Johnson officially swore in Rep. Matt Van Epps (R-TN) on Thursday following his decisive nine-point victory over progressive state lawmaker Aftyn Behn (D) in a special election endorsed by former President Trump. In response, Grijalva shared a video from C-SPAN on X, remarking, Less than 48 hours after winning must be nice.

Grijalva had won a special election on September 23 to succeed her late father, but her induction into the House was postponed until after the government shutdown ended on November 10. Supporters alleged that Johnson delayed her swearing-in because she intended to be the 218th vote required to release certain high-profile documents.

The delay led Arizonas attorney general to file a lawsuit, asserting that the Speaker was legally obliged to administer the oath. When questioned, Johnson commented on Fox News, She doesnt know how it works around here. Were going to give her the oath of office as soon as we get back to regular session.

He added to CNBC, In the meantime, she can be working for her constituents. She has hired staff. Ive noticed they keep doing stunt videos outside of her office, knocking on the door and pretending its closed. It shouldnt be. She should be in there taking calls from her constituents and doing her job.

Grijalva responded with social media posts demonstrating her inability to perform work duties despite having access to her office. Keys to the office? Check! Sworn in as Congresswoman? Not quite, she wrote on October 16, 2025, sharing video footage. In the clip, she explained, Look at what happened. We got access to the office. Check out this super cool printer. I cant print to it, though, because I dont have a government email. Check out this cool stack of laptops. Guess what? I cant unlock them.

Author: Noah Whitman