Latest on Rep. Adelita Grijalva taking the Oath of Office

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said it was an "injustice" and "painful" waiting seven weeks to take the Oath of Office with no way to serve her constituents.

But now, she's trying to turn the page and focus on her new role as a full-fledged member of the House.

It was the moment Rep. Grijalva had been waiting for for 50 days: Officially being sworn into Congress last week.

When asked what that moment meant to her, the congresswoman said, "It's been 50 days of waiting for a very long time. And so, the emotions run the gamut of frustration, anger, happiness, sadness, I mean, every emotion you can think of."

After winning a special election in September, Grijalva's swearing-in was put on hold while the House was on recess for nearly two months during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, and she placed the blame of House Speaker Mike Johnson for the delay.

When asked if it was personal, Grijalva said, "No, I don't think it was personal. I think it was strategic. I think that he was trying to prevent the release of the Epstein files. And I know that if I were a Republican, I would not have been waiting."

Speaker Johnson insists that was not the case saying, "Look, I really like this lady. She's going to be an excellent member of Congress. She may not agree with me, but we followed the custom of the House on the timetable."

Grijalva's first order of business was becoming the 218th and final signature on a petition to force a vote this week on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files with survivors of the convicted sex offender looking on from the House Chamber.

"I believe very strongly that it is about getting justice for the survivors," Grijalva expressed.

The freshman lawmaker succeeds her late father, Congressman Raul Grijalva, who died in March after serving more than two decades in Congress. She is now following in his footsteps.

When asked what she thinks her father would say, Grijalva said, "I think he'd be very proud. 'Good for you, mi hija. Keep fighting. Don't let them push you around.'"

Grijlava says she is ready to get to work. Despite her differences with Johnson, she was able to have a one-on-one conversation with him and intends to work in a bipartisan fashion.