The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. The administration changed course after months of trying to block the joint action involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The bill next heads to the president for his endorsement. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period dismissed the controversy over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were watching from a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of individuals involved, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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