The Senate on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his Republican allies. The administration relented after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to Trump for his signature. The president stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the past few days, and stated he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were present in a viewing area, cheered after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from Clay Higgins, who stated he feared the measure would reveal personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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