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Democratic lawmakers stormed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office on Tuesday night, demanding that he swear in a newly-elected representative.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., joined arms and chanted “swear her in” with Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., as well as Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., as they marched on Johnson’s office with members of their staff. Capitol Hill police officers blocked the lawmakers from entering the speaker’s office.
Footage from various angles shows Jayapal and Stansbury messing with the sign in front of the speaker’s office and getting into an altercation with one of the officers.
Grijalva won her special election on Sept. 23, but she still has not been sworn into office. Her vote would be the final vote needed for the House to approve a discharge petition relating to the Epstein files, put forward by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
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The petition, which is currently just one vote shy of passing, calls on the GOP-controlled House to vote to urge the Justice Department to release the files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES
Johnson, R-La., reacted to the incident on Wednesday, brushing off the action as merely a “political stunt.”
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“They stormed my office. Maybe you saw some of the video online that they themselves shared or someone did, they berated a Capitol Police officer, screamed at him. He was just merely standing at his post,” Johnson said.
“It shows again their disdain for law enforcement, as we see all around the country, the Democrats and everyone in that party screaming, assaulting ICE officers. They did it right here in the Capitol last night. A few members of Congress went into the little foyer of my office and tore down a sign that I had up and, and just engaged in all sorts of political stunts and antics,” he added.
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