The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will force the release of official records concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team changed course after an extended period of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next will be sent to the president for his signature. Trump signaled on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Though Trump has for months dismissed the controversy over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with victims and their advocates who were present in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he feared the measure would make public specific data of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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