Senate Approves Measure to Make Public Jeffrey Epstein Documents
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of case documents related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after an extended period of trying to block the joint action involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have waited long enough. Those affected have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next goes to Trump for his signature. Trump stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months dismissed the uproar over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with victims and their supporters who were present in a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who stated he worried the measure would disclose specific data of people, potential suspects and others involved in the investigation.
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