The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The administration changed course after months of trying to forestall the joint action involving a case that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Next Steps
This legislation next goes to Trump for his endorsement. He signaled on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for months dismissed the controversy over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “political stunt”, he voiced approval for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it comes to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with those affected and their representatives who were present in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he worried the measure would reveal specific data of individuals involved, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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