The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will force the release of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The White House gave in after months of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
Citizens have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Next Steps
The bill next heads to the president for his signature. The president stated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a viewing area, applauded after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he worried the measure would disclose identifying details of people, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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