The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will require the publication of official records associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The administration gave in after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, expediting the process. Earlier that day, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Ensure full disclosure.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next will be sent to Trump for his approval. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for months dismissed the outcry over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and announced he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with victims and their advocates who were watching from a House gallery, applauded after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who said he feared the measure would make public specific data of witnesses, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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