The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will require the publication of official records associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The White House gave in after an extended period of trying to forestall the joint action involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next goes to the president for his approval. The president stated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months rejected the uproar over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the measure over the weekend, and stated he would approve it if it comes to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their supporters who were present in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who stated he feared the measure would disclose specific data of witnesses, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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