The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will require the publication of official records related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a case that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to the president for his endorsement. He stated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Although Trump has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their representatives who were seated in a public section, cheered after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would disclose personal information of people, potential suspects and others involved in the investigation.
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