The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of official records concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The administration gave in after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a case that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next will be sent to Trump for his approval. Trump indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their advocates who were seated in a public section, cheered after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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