The Senate on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will require the publication of investigative files concerning the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. The White House relented after an extended period of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Next Steps
This legislation next heads to the president for his approval. The president indicated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months dismissed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with victims and their supporters who were present in a viewing area, applauded after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he feared the measure would make public identifying details of people, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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