The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of case documents concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The administration relented after months of trying to delay the joint action involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, accelerating 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,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The bill next heads to the president for his signature. The president stated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Although the president has for months rejected the uproar over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were watching from a House gallery, applauded after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of people, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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