The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will force the release of case documents related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team changed course after an extended period of trying to block the joint action involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next will be sent to Trump for his signature. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Though Trump has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and said he would give his assent if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others involved in the investigation.
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