Washington DC - House Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet sworn in Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, and she believes it's over her promise to help in efforts to release the files on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last week, Grijalva was elected in a special contest to replace her father, the late Raúl Grijalva, as representative of Arizona's 7th congressional district.

But when she traveled to Capitol Hill earlier this week, Republicans refused to officiate her win.

"I came to the Capitol, ready to be sworn in and get to work for the people of Southern Arizona," Grijalva shared in an X post. "Instead, Speaker Johnson chose to delay, denying our community the representation we deserve."

According to The Hill, the House, which is currently on recess, held a pro forma session on Tuesday, during which Rep. Morgan Griffith paused floor activities and avoided swearing in Grijalva.

When Griffith was later asked about Grijalva, he argued that "historically" members are only sworn in "when the House is in session other than pro forma."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Speaker Johnson said he "intends to schedule a swearing in for the Representative-elect when the House returns to session" on October 7.

Grijalva has been heavily critical of Johnson's decision. In an X post, she pointed out that earlier this year, he swore in two Florida Republicans "during a pro forma session less than 24-hours after their elections."

She also recently told the Tucson Sentinel that she believes the delay is due to her vowing to be the 218th member of Congress to sign onto a discharge petition that would force a vote to release the Epstein files.

In recent months, President Donald Trump and his administration have been receiving backlash for refusing to release the files as they have repeatedly promised. The president has also faced criticism for being named in the files, as he and Epstein were close friends for decades.

There have been bipartisan efforts by House members to release the files, but Johnson, a staunch ally of the president, and other MAGA Republicans have fought to block them.

The discharge petition Grijalva has promised to sign is being led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California. The only Republicans supporting the measure are Massie, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Grijalva's signature, which can't be added until she is sworn in, will bring the petition to the 218 names needed to bypass Republicans and force action on the House floor.