NBC's Kristen Welker Presses Speaker Johnson On Refusal to Swear in Congresswoman Who is Likely Epstein Files Swing Vote

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: MEDIAite

Oct 5th, 2025, 12:49 pm


House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) bristled when asked why he’s not swearing in a newly-elected Congresswoman thought to be the swing vote on a House measure to release the Epstein Files.

In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Kristen Welker pressed the Speaker about his refusal to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ). When she is sworn in, Grijalva will be the 214th Democrat in Congress. Those 214 Democrats — plus four likely Republican defections — would mean proponents would have the required 218 votes to pass a discharge petition to release DOJ files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Welker quizzed Johnson on the House being closed during the government shutdown.

“You announced this week that the House will not be in session until the government reopens,” Welker said. “But there are still things that you could be doing. There are appropriations bills that you could be working on, there’s a new Democratic Congresswoman who still needs to be sworn in. Isn’t there still critical work that you could be doing on behalf of the American public?” “We’re doing that critical work,” Johnson replied — before pivoting to criticize Democrats.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/nbcs-kristen-welker-presses-speaker-johnson-on-refusal-to-swear-in-congresswoman-who-is-likely-epstein-files-swing-vote/

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“We’re doing that critical work,” Johnson replied

"Critical work" = "cover-up" of the Epstein files.

[riversedge]

1. "Referring to the abuse visited upon over a thousand girls as a "red herring" is nasty work, you a**hole."

Mueller generally has a great response!

Mueller, She Wrote‬ ‪@muellershewrote.com‬
· 4h
Referring to the abuse visited upon over a thousand girls as a “red herring” is nasty work, you asshole.

Referring to the abuse visited upon over a thousand girls as a “red herring” is nasty work, you asshole.

— Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.com) 2025-10-05T18:42:42.597Z

[mdbl]

2. Johnson is using the McConnell playbook

Block, obstruct, deny, confuse, repeat. I still can't believe people voted for these assholes.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. He's like so many pious phonies I've seen on the topic of sex abuse.

[Trueblue1968]

3. I hate mikies guts. I thought their was a bigtime rumor coming out that was gonna wreck him. A sex rumor

[mopinko]

12. a rumor that a guy found his old grindr profile.

and gave him a deadline to swear in the congresswoman.

[Bluetus]

4. Every word of that interview was disingenuous.

Regarding the shutdown, the GOP controls everything. They have often suspended the filibuster rule before. If they did not want a shutdown, they could take that vote today.

And on the subject of the ACA premium, that is not an "end of year" thing. The open enrollment period starts in 25 days, and the insurance companies need some time to decide on their plans once they know what the premium support will be.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The "end of year" thing is for the *extra* ACA subsidies that were put into effect with the COVID legislation

that are set to expire at the end of this calendar year.

[Bluetus]

6. Yes, exactly. And insurance companies and customers need to know this

before the open enrollment begins in 25 days. It is not an end-of-year issue. Yes, the subsidies happen in calendar 2026, but the enrollment is the key date.

If a person cannot afford a policy without the subsidy. then they will not enroll. And that will suit Johnson and the Republicans just fine. They want this shutdown. They want the cost of the ACA to be prohibitive. They want to throw everything back to the vultures in the private market with no control over their actions.

Democrats need to educate themselves, and then be very vigorous in educating the public.

[calimary]

7. Gotta say, every time I think the opposition can't sink any lower,

they do.

They make me think of the alert sounding in the submarine: “Dive! Dive! Dive!”

[Miles Archer]

8. Looks like a few factors are in play here.

1). "The acquisition and retention of power"...we have probably never lived in a time like the present when it comes to Republicans wanting to cement their hold on power, permanently, by any means

2). This goes back to Joni Ernst's comment in Trump's term that "Republicans needed to go behind closed doors, away from media scrutiny, and "fix" Social Security." They want to lie and create any smokescreen they can and use whatever arcane Parliamentary measures there are to just make these things happen, hidden from most of the public, so that the public keeps voting Republican, against their own best interests

3). Trump's mortality is becoming more apparent daily, so they want to "get while the getting's good."

[calimary]

9. Indeed.

Interesting that your #3 here has started becoming a real thing. For awhile I’d been thinking “it has to be just me thinking that.” But now I’m starting to realize that others are noticing, too. In increasing numbers.

[Bluetus]

11. I might say it just a little differently.

"we have probably never lived in a time like the present when it comes to Republicans wanting to cement their hold on power, permanently, by any means "

What we are living through today did not start on election day 2024.
It did not start with Jan 6.
It did not start with the Birther thing.
It did not start with the Tea Party.
It did not start with Rush Limbaugh.
It did not start with Roger Ailes.
It did not start with Ronald Reagan.

This is the story of American history. Our country has always been ruled by robber barons and oligarchs. Teddy Roosevelt gave them a good spanking. Franklin Roosevelt, kicked their asses for over 2 decades and gave Americans a taste of a real middle class.

Every day since FDR died, the oligarchs have been working toward this moment. it really has very little to do with Trump, and it won't stop when Trump is gone. Our future as a nation depends on finding a leader of the vision and gravitas comparable to FDR. Nothing less will do.

We need to be thinking much more along the lines of "Eat the rich" than "Let's elect some reasonable people that will make things right." It is, after all, the ultra-rich who have funded this assault on the middle class for 70 years. And despite putting out billions of dollars for think tanks, bribes, PACS, ads, and everything else that has overturned our system, they are all richer than ever. They will not stop on their own.

[questionseverything]

14. Cook em up!

[Bluetus]

15. With enough garlic and hot peppers, they may be palatable

[questionseverything]

16. Secrets in the sauce!

[kacekwl]

10. Sounds like he was really

pressed. Non answer then all bullshit. We'll leave it there.

[Mysterian]

17. Is swearing in really necessary?

She was duly elected.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. It's in the Constitution!

Article VI

(snip)

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi

[Mysterian]

19. Odd how that was construed that the Speaker must do it

Maybe it's a House rule. If so, they need to change that shit.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. The House Rules claim that the House can pass a resolution to have someone else do it

but we obviously don't control the House, so...

The MAGats in there could push it though since their whole raison d'etre was "sex trafficking" and "pedophilia" and Epstein fit right in there with their core CTs and they want to see those files.