Congress Greenlights Measure to Make Public Jeffrey Epstein Records
The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will force the release of case documents concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The administration relented after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. Trump signaled on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though the president has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their representatives who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public identifying details of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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