The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team relented after an extended period of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
This legislation next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. The president indicated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Even though Trump has for months rejected the uproar over the official management of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and announced he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their representatives who were watching from a House gallery, applauded after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he feared the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, potential suspects and others involved in the investigation.
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