The Senate on this Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will require the publication of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The administration changed course after an extended period of trying to block the joint action involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have been patient long enough. The survivors have waited patiently,” the top Senate Democrat said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to Trump for his approval. Trump signaled on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though the president has for an extended period dismissed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were seated in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was approved. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he was concerned the measure would reveal specific data of individuals involved, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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