The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will require the publication of case documents associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The White House gave in 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.
Unanimous Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to the president for his endorsement. He stated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Although Trump has for months dismissed the controversy over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it comes to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with victims and their advocates who were present in a public section, applauded 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 implicated in the investigation.
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