The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of official records associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a case that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, expediting the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
This legislation next will be sent to the president for his approval. The president signaled on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though the president has for months rejected the outcry over the official management of the investigation as a “political stunt”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their representatives who were seated in a public section, cheered after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would reveal identifying details of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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