The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will require the publication of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team relented after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a case that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating 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. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The bill next will be sent to Trump for his signature. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though Trump has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the legislation over the weekend, and announced he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would disclose specific data of people, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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