The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a change of position by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a case that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, expediting the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Next Steps
The bill next goes to Trump for his approval. Trump stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Although Trump has for months downplayed the controversy over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with those affected and their representatives who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The sole “no” vote came from Clay Higgins, who stated he feared the measure would make public identifying details of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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