The Senate on this Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of case documents associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after an extended period of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a case that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
The public have been patient long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The measure next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. The president signaled on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and said he would give his assent if it reaches his desk.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with victims and their supporters who were watching from a public section, cheered after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from Clay Higgins, who said he was concerned the measure would reveal personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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