The Senate on this Tuesday quickly approved to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, 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 near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The bill next goes to Donald Trump for his signature. He signaled on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though the president has for months rejected the uproar over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and said he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with victims and their representatives who were watching from a House gallery, cheered after the bill was passed. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who stated he feared the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
Additional Stories
- The president faces criticism for referring to a correspondent as ‘piggy’ during a disagreement aboard Air Force One.
- Judge rejects ‘discriminatory’ maps in the state of Texas that allocated GOP additional districts.
- A significant number of Department of Education's authorities reassigned to other branches as part of White House efforts.
- Raids move to North Carolina capital, with representatives reporting ongoing activities.
