The Senate on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will require the publication of case documents concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. The administration relented after an extended period of trying to delay the joint action involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to the president for his approval. The president stated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Although Trump has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and said he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with those affected and their supporters who were present in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who stated he worried the measure would make public identifying details of people, potential suspects and others implicated in the investigation.
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