The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after months of trying to block the joint action involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to the president for his signature. Trump stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period downplayed the controversy over the official management of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their representatives who were watching from a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who stated he was concerned the measure would make public specific data of individuals involved, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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