Washington DC [US], October 9 : Arizona's Democratic senators got into a heated hallway confrontation with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday as the US government shutdown entered its eighth day, CNN reported.
The exchange between Johnson and Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego reportedly centered on Johnson's decision not to swear in Democrats' newest congresswoman-elect until the Senate breaks the deadlock and reopens the government. Full of traded insults and forceful cross-talk, the six-minute exchange underscored just how far apart the two parties remain on how to approach reopening the federal government as each side digs in, as reported by CNN.
The Democratic senators had been speaking with reporters outside the speaker's office in the US Capitol to argue he was refusing to swear in Republican-elect Adelita Grijalva because she'd be the deciding signature to force a House vote related to the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
The speaker exchanged handshakes with the pair as he approached to push back on their claims.
"Your excuse just keeps on moving," said Gallego, as the Democrats pointed to Johnson's swearing-in of Florida GOP Reps Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine during a pro forma session - when the House wasn't formally in session - earlier this year.
Johnson defended his decision to not do the same for Grijalva by saying "that was the exception we did because the family was here. Grijalva, Rep-elect Grijalva has not yet had a scheduled date because she was elected after the House was out of session. So, I am anxious to administer the oath to her as soon as you guys vote to open the government," CNN reported.
Johnson, who said he was happy Grijalva was elected, denied that it had anything to do with a vote on the Epstein files and remarked the House didn't need to vote on releasing more of them because the House Oversight Committee is already conducting a bipartisan investigation.
"They're doing the work. They're doing it methodically. They're doing it with subpoena power, and you don't need an act of Congress for that to happen because they're already on it," Johnson said.
After accusing the Democrats of "holding the American people hostage," Johnson ended the exchange.
"OK I'm going to get back to work. These gentlemen had a publicity stunt here. You see the issue, they need to go vote to reopen the government, plain and simple. The House has done its work," he told reporters, as per CNN.
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