The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will force the release of investigative files associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a reversal by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The administration relented after an extended period of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have been patient long enough. The survivors have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to the president for his endorsement. Trump stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period downplayed the controversy over the official management of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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