The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will require the publication of official records concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. Trump's team changed course after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next heads to Trump for his endorsement. Trump indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Even though Trump has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were watching from a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he was concerned the measure would make public specific data of people, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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