The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will force the release of case documents concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after an extended period of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next will be sent to Trump for his signature. The president signaled on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months dismissed the controversy over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their advocates who were seated in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who stated he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of people, those under scrutiny and others involved in the investigation.
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