The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of official records associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after months of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
Citizens have waited long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
This legislation next heads to Donald Trump for his endorsement. The president stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Although the president has for months rejected the controversy over the official management of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were present in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he worried the measure would make public identifying details of individuals involved, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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