The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will mandate the disclosure 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 administration relented after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his approval. Trump indicated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Although the president has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the official management of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would approve it if it comes to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were seated in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was passed. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who stated he feared the measure would disclose specific data of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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