The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will force the release of investigative files concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team relented after an extended period of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Those affected have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his endorsement. He signaled on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Although Trump has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with those affected and their advocates who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who said he was concerned the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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