The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of case documents concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team relented after an extended period of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a case that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
Citizens have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next goes to Donald Trump for his signature. Trump stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Although the president has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the measure over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with victims and their advocates who were seated in a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he was concerned the measure would make public specific data of people, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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