Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego confronted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson outside his office in the Capitol on Wednesday about the delay of the swearing in of their state’s newest elected representative, Adelita Grijalva.
Grijalva has said she believes the delay is because she is the deciding signatory of a petition to force legislation that would release the Epstein files.
Johnson called the suggestion “totally aburd” when asked by Kelly and Gallego if that was the reason their colleague has not been sworn in two weeks after winning election, and weaseled his way out of a reasonable explantion.
“You guys are experts in red herrings and distraction,” he told the senators, later calling the encounter a “publicity stunt.”
Smiling Mike gave the same spiel to NewsNation.
This wasn’t the only loud confrontation in the halls of the Capitol yesterday, as minority leader Hakeem Jeffries went at it with Republican New York Rep. Mike Lawler.
Their “discussion” was about a one-year extension bill for the ACA that was signed by 11 Republicans.
Jeffries ended the argument with a smile: “You’re embarrassing yourself and your district right now, and you’re going down to defeat next year.”