The Senate on Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of case documents concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to forestall the joint action involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Earlier that day, 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 declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. He indicated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Although the president has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the official management of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their representatives who were watching from a House gallery, applauded after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public specific data of individuals involved, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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