The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will force the release of case documents related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer stated in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to Trump for his endorsement. The president indicated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Even though the president has for months downplayed the uproar over the official management of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their representatives who were seated in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who said he was concerned the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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