The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of case documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The administration gave in after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next heads to Donald Trump for his approval. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their representatives who were present in a viewing area, cheered after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who stated he was concerned the measure would make public specific data of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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