The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will require the publication of case documents concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The administration relented after months of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a case that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The measure next goes to Donald Trump for his signature. He indicated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a viewing area, applauded after the bill was passed. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who said he feared the measure would disclose identifying details of people, those under scrutiny and others involved in the investigation.
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