The Senate on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will require the publication of official records associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The administration relented after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The bill next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. He stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Though the president 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 weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it reaches his desk.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their supporters who were present in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was approved. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who stated he feared the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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