The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will force the release of case documents associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after an extended period of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have waited long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to Trump for his endorsement. The president stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the official management of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with victims and their advocates who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he worried the measure would disclose specific data of witnesses, potential suspects and others implicated in the investigation.
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