The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of case documents associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a reversal by the president and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to block the joint action involving a case that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to Donald Trump for his signature. The president indicated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Although the president has for months dismissed the outcry over the official management of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with victims and their supporters who were present in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who stated he was concerned the measure would make public specific data of people, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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