The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of case documents associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
The public have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to the president for his signature. He indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Even though the president has for months downplayed the controversy over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the measure over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their advocates who were present in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who stated he worried the measure would make public personal information of people, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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