The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of official records associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team relented after an extended period of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Next Steps
This legislation next goes to Trump for his approval. The president stated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Even though Trump has for months dismissed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were seated in a viewing area, applauded after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would make public specific data of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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