The Senate on Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of investigative files concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The White House gave in after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his endorsement. Trump stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Even though the president has for an extended period rejected the controversy over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Support and Opposition
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 a Louisiana Republican, who said he worried the measure would reveal specific data of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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