Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) Wednesday and immediately become the final signatory on a measure aimed at releasing government files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

“Her first act of Congress will be a powerful one,” Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) said as he introduced her on the House floor. “She will be the 218th and final signature on the discharge petition to force the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.”

In her remarks, Grijalva thanked two “survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse” – Elizabeth Stein and Jessica Michaels – for being in the gallery to watch her being sworn in. 

The congresswoman noted another tranche of documents related to Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges, had just been released by lawmakers Wednesday morning. 

“House Democrats released more emails showing that [President] Trump knew more about Epstein’s abuses than he previously acknowledged,” Grijalva said. “It’s past time for Congress to restore its role as a check and balance on this administration, and to fight for we, the American people.”

She proceeded to announce that she would sign the discharge petition on the House floor.

“That is why I will sign the discharge petition right now to release the Epstein files. Justice cannot wait another day. Adelante!” Grijalva said.

The move will trigger a floor vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, authored by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). 

If passed in both chambers and signed into law, the legislation would compel the full release of the Epstein criminal files with redactions to protect the victims. 

Khanna told the Post on Wednesday he expects a vote by December in the House. 

He and Massie are planning another press conference on Capitol Hill with Epstein victims next week. 

The difference between the files already released by the House Oversight Committee and what could be released under the legislation would be “witness interviews of hundreds of powerful men,” Khanna said. Grijalva was sworn in more than seven weeks after she won a special election to replace her late father – Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) – as the representative of southern Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. Democrats have accused Johnson of delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in to avoid the potential House floor vote on releasing the Epstein files, which Trump has described as a Democratic-led “hoax.”

The House speaker has denied the allegation, arguing that the precedent is for new lawmakers to be sworn in only when the House is in session.