The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after months of trying to block 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 requires approval from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have waited long enough. Those affected have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to Donald Trump for his approval. Trump signaled on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Even though the president has for months dismissed the outcry over the official management of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Reaction
Democrats, along with those affected and their supporters who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public identifying details of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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