The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will force the release of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The administration gave in after an extended period of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next goes to Donald Trump for his endorsement. Trump signaled on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and stated he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their advocates who were present in a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public identifying details of people, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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