The Senate on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will require the publication of case documents concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team changed course after months of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to Donald Trump for his approval. He stated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though the president has for an extended period dismissed the outcry over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “political stunt”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were present in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he feared the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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