The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. The administration changed course after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have waited long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The bill next heads to Trump for his signature. The president signaled on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “political stunt”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and said he would give his assent if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with those affected and their advocates who were watching from a public section, cheered after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he was concerned the measure would make public specific data of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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