The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Earlier that day, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Those affected have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his approval. Trump signaled on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months dismissed the outcry over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would approve it if it comes to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their representatives who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would make public identifying details of witnesses, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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