Rep. Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 30, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Grijalva, who now fills the seat formerly held by her father, the late Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said signing the petition would be her first act as a member of Congress.
"I will sign the discharge petition right now to release the Epstein files. It's past time for Congress to restore its role as the check and balance on this administration and fight for we, the American people," Grijalva said.
Epstein, a former businessman and financier, died in 2019 while jailed on federal sex-trafficking charges involving minors. During his career, he accrued an impressive social circle that included rich and powerful figures like former President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump and the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew.
His sudden death, ruled a suicide by investigators, left unanswered questions about whether he had used his expansive social circle to facilitate illegal sexual encounters for some of his contacts.
SPEAKER JOHNSON HIT WITH DEMOCRAT-LED LAWSUIT OVER DELAYED SWEARING-IN AMID HOUSE SHUTDOWN CHAOS
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., during a news conference with alleged victims of the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Two of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims joined lawmakers in the House chamber for Grijalva's swearing in.
"Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice. This includes the millions of people across the country who have experienced violence and exploitation — including Liz Stein and Jessica Michaels, both survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse. They are here in the gallery here this evening," Grijalva said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he supports the measure in principle but believes aspects of the legislation are poorly written or may provide insufficient protections for Epstein’s potential victims.
With Grijalva's support, Democrat leadership believes the petition will come to the floor sometime in December.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the ranking member on the House Rules Committee, noted that Johnson might try to derail its timeline.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
"It should ripen in early December. That doesn’t mean that the Speaker of the House [won’t] try to do some shenanigans, but if all goes the way we want it to go, early December," McGovern said.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-swearing-in-tips-scales-house-battle-unseal-epstein-documents