Congress Greenlights Legislation to Release Epstein Records
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of case documents associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The White House changed course 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.
Swift Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Presidential Signature
The bill next will be sent to Trump for his approval. Trump stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Although Trump has for an extended period dismissed the outcry over the official management of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and announced he would give his assent if it reaches his desk.
Response
The Democratic party, along with victims and their advocates who were seated in a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he feared the measure would reveal specific data of people, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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