The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a change of position by the president and his Republican allies. The administration changed course after an extended period of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have waited long enough. Those affected have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next goes to the president for his endorsement. Trump indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Although the president has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their supporters who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he feared the measure would disclose identifying details of individuals involved, those under scrutiny and others involved in the investigation.
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