Congress Passes Legislation to Release Jeffrey Epstein Documents
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday quickly approved to legislation that will require the publication of investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The White House gave in after an extended period of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Congress
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to Donald Trump for his signature. The president signaled on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Even though the president has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the official management of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Response
Opposition lawmakers, along with victims and their advocates who were watching from a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of people, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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