The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will force the release of case documents associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a reversal by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The administration changed course after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his signature. He stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for months dismissed the controversy over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with those affected and their representatives who were seated in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he feared the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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