The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will require the publication of official records concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The administration changed course after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a case that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
Citizens have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to the president for his endorsement. The president stated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for months downplayed the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their advocates who were present in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he feared the measure would disclose specific data of people, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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