The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The administration changed course after an extended period of trying to block the joint action involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have waited long enough. The survivors have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Ensure full disclosure.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next goes to Trump for his approval. Trump indicated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Although the president has for an extended period dismissed the outcry over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “political stunt”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would give his assent if it comes to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their supporters who were seated in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he worried the measure would reveal specific data of people, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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