The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
Citizens have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next will be sent to the president for his approval. He stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Although Trump has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Reaction
Democrats, 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 a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would disclose identifying details of witnesses, potential suspects and others implicated in the investigation.
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