The Senate on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of investigative files concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team relented after months of trying to delay the joint action involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
The public have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to the president for his signature. Trump stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Although the president has for months dismissed the uproar over the official management of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the weekend, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their supporters who were seated in a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who stated he worried the measure would reveal specific data of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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