The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will require the publication of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team relented after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative 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 needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have waited long enough. The survivors have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The measure next will be sent to Donald Trump for his approval. Trump stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the official management of the investigation as a “political stunt”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were seated in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public identifying details of individuals involved, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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