The Senate on Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will force the release of case documents associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The White House relented after an extended period of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Presidential Signature
This legislation next heads to the president for his signature. He stated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for months rejected the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would approve it if it comes to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their representatives who were present in a public section, applauded after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who stated he was concerned the measure would reveal specific data of people, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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