The Senate on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump 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 Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have been patient long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Next Steps
This legislation next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. The president stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for months rejected the controversy over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were seated in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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