The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will require the publication of official records related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to forestall the joint action involving a case that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The measure next goes to Trump for his signature. The president stated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with victims and their advocates who were seated in a public section, cheered after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who said he feared the measure would reveal personal information of people, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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