House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., fired back at media and Democrats suggesting he is delaying efforts to seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., in Congress.
Johnson reminded reporters at Monday's daily government shutdown news conference that the delays were the Democrats' own doing.
"Yet another Democrat politician from Arizona is trying to get national publicity," Johnson said. "Now it's the state AG who is going to sue me because Rep.-elect Grijalva is not sworn in. Let me go over this again for you, and I have some updates."
The delays are squarely on the shoulders of Democrats' own inaction, Johnson said.
First, he noted, the former House Speaker Nancy "Pelosi precedent" has been that the House needs to be in session for special election winners to be sworn in.
"We are not in legislative session," Johnson said. "I will administer [the] oath to her, I hope, on the first day we come back into legislative session. I am willing and anxious to do that."
Johnson then criticzed Grijalva for partisan political games before even being seated.
"In the meantime, instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents," Johnson said pointedly. "She could be taking their calls, directing them, trying to help them through the crisis that Democrats have created by shutting down the government."
Johnson was also quick to address the narrative, saying Grijalva's lack of congressional computer access stemmed from Democrat leadership’s lack of 'guidance' — something he said he has since fixed.
"Here's all the things you need to do and here's the chief administrator office of the House, and they will help you get all of your computers set up and your passwords and all the rest," Johnson said.
"That call was apparently never made by Rep. Grijalva, and I don't know if the Democrat leader's office didn't inform her of that, but I found out this morning that the person who runs that office in the chief administrative office is on furlough, because they voted to shut the government down.
"And that person didn't reach out affirmatively, but now it's been sorted out, and I'm told they're going to her office today because she made a TikTok video saying she couldn't use her computer.
"Well, she can use her computer now."
But she needs to do more actual work and less complaining about not taking the steps required of her, according to Johnson.
"She has 16 staffers," Johnson continued. "They need to be taking calls and they need to be helping their constituents, just as Republicans are out in their districts right now, helping them navigate the chaos that is created by Democrats who are playing political games."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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