The Senate on this Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. Trump's team changed course after an extended period of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next heads to Donald Trump for his signature. The president signaled on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Even though the president has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Response
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were watching from a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of individuals involved, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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