The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will force the release of case documents associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The White House relented after an extended period of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a case that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next heads to the president for his endorsement. Trump indicated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for months dismissed the controversy over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and said he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were present in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would reveal personal information of individuals involved, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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