The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will require the publication of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The administration relented 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 Approval in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to the president for his endorsement. The president indicated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period dismissed the controversy over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and announced he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who stated he feared the measure would disclose specific data of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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