The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will force the release of investigative files concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a change of position by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The administration relented after an extended period of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a recorded vote, expediting the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The measure next goes to Trump for his approval. He indicated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Even though the president has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the official management of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he voiced approval for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their representatives who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he worried the measure would reveal identifying details of people, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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