The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will require the publication of case documents related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team changed course after months of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Those affected have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next heads to the president for his approval. He indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though the president has for an extended period dismissed the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a viewing area, applauded after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would reveal specific data of individuals involved, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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