Joey Cappelletti and Matt Brown, AP News:

As the House returns Wednesday for the first time in months, Democrat Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in as its newest member, more than seven weeks after winning a special election in Arizona to fill the seat last held by her late father.

Grijalva’s swearing-in is expected to be among the first actions by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who had previously declined to seat her until the chamber reconvened following a deal to end the government shutdown. The official ceremony is set for 4 p.m. EST, shortly before the House is expected to begin voting.

For Grijalva, it’s the end of a weekslong delay that she and other Democrats said was intended to prevent her signature on a petition to eventually trigger a vote to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. In an interview with The Associated Press, she said the thought of finally being sworn in was “emotional” and “very much a roller coaster.”

It’s outrageous that Johnson has held up the swearing-in of an elected Congresswoman for over seven weeks under the flimsiest of pretexts.

Grijalva would be the final necessary signature on a discharge petition linked to legislation that would require the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents and communications related to Epstein and his sex trafficking operation.

I’m assuming—perhaps uncharitably—that one reason Johnson is finally allowing Grijalva to be sworn in is because one of the other 217 people who previously signed the petition is now willing to revoke it. Speculation is rampant that it’ll be Nancy Mace, but I’m not ruling out Lauren Boebert or Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Not that it matters. Denying Grijalva and her Arizona constituents has been one big waste of time over a petition for a vote on legislation that will never become law.