Senate Approves Bill to Make Public Epstein Documents
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have waited long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next goes to Donald Trump for his approval. The president stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for months rejected the uproar over the official management of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were present in a viewing area, cheered after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who stated he was concerned the measure would reveal specific data of individuals involved, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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