The Senate on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will require the publication of official records associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after months of trying to block the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The bill next heads to Trump for his signature. Trump indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Even though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he signalled his support for the legislation over the weekend, and stated he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their advocates who were seated in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he was concerned the measure would make public identifying details of people, those under scrutiny and others involved in the investigation.
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