The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of official records 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 comeback to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next will be sent to Trump for his approval. He signaled on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their supporters who were seated in a viewing area, cheered after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would reveal personal information of people, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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