The Senate on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will require the publication of official records concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The administration gave in after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Ensure full disclosure.”
Next Steps
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his signature. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for months dismissed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were seated in a public section, applauded after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he worried the measure would disclose specific data of people, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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