The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will require the publication of case documents concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a case that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a 427-1 tally.
Citizens have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to Trump for his signature. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though Trump has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he voiced approval for the measure over the weekend, and announced he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their supporters who were seated in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who stated he feared the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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