The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after an extended period of trying to block the joint action involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to Donald Trump for his signature. He signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would give his assent if it comes to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a viewing area, cheered after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he feared the measure would reveal specific data of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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