The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team changed course after months of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have been patient long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next heads to Donald Trump for his endorsement. Trump indicated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Although Trump has for months rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the weekend, and said he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with victims and their supporters who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would disclose personal information of people, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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