The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of official records concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. The administration relented after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a case that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to Trump for his approval. The president signaled on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Even though Trump has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the official management of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with victims and their advocates who were watching from a House gallery, cheered after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who stated he feared the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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