Senate Greenlights Measure to Make Public Jeffrey Epstein Records
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after an extended period of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Just before, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
The public have waited long enough. Those affected have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Ensure full disclosure.”
Next Steps
This legislation next will be sent to Donald Trump for his signature. He stated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Even though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it comes to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were watching from a public section, applauded after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would make public personal information of people, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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