The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will force the release of case documents related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Next Steps
The bill next goes to Trump for his endorsement. Trump indicated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for an extended period rejected the controversy over the official management of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their supporters who were present in a public section, cheered after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who stated he worried the measure would make public personal information of individuals involved, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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