The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will force the release of case documents concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team changed course after an extended period of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a case that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, expediting the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his signature. The president stated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though the president has for months downplayed the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and announced he would approve it if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with victims and their representatives who were watching from a House gallery, applauded after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he worried the measure would disclose specific data of witnesses, potential suspects and others involved in the investigation.
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