The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will require the publication of investigative files concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. The White House changed course after an extended period of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a case that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to approve it without opposition. “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 an extended period dismissed the controversy over the official management of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the measure over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their supporters who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would make public identifying details of people, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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