The Senate on this Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of case documents concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The administration relented after months of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, expediting the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The measure next goes to Donald Trump for his approval. He stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Although Trump has for months rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and said he would give his assent if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were seated in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he worried the measure would reveal personal information of witnesses, potential suspects and others implicated in the investigation.
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