The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will mandate the disclosure of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team relented after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Uncover the facts. Ensure full disclosure.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next will be sent to the president for his signature. The president stated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Even though the president has for months rejected the outcry over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and said he would approve it if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their advocates who were seated in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he feared the measure would make public identifying details of witnesses, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
Other Headlines
- Trump is under fire for referring to a correspondent as ‘piggy’ during a disagreement onboard Air Force One.
- Judge rejects ‘racially gerrymandered’ maps in Texas that allocated Republicans more districts.
- Many of US education agency’s authorities transferred to other federal departments as part of administration efforts.
- Large-scale operations expand to Raleigh, with representatives reporting ongoing activities.
