The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will force the release of investigative files concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next heads to the president for his endorsement. The president indicated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though the president has for months rejected the uproar over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the weekend, and announced he would approve it if it comes to him.
Response
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were present in a public section, cheered after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he was concerned the measure would reveal personal information of people, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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