The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of case documents associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The administration gave in after months of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
The public have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Ensure full disclosure.”
Next Steps
The bill next goes to Donald Trump for his endorsement. The president stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though the president has for an extended period rejected the controversy over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it reaches his desk.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were present in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from Clay Higgins, who stated he worried the measure would make public identifying details of people, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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