The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
Citizens have been patient long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” Chuck Schumer said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next goes to Trump for his approval. He indicated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months rejected the controversy over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Response
Democrats, along with those affected and their supporters who were seated in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public identifying details of witnesses, potential suspects and others involved in the investigation.
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