The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to a measure that will require the publication of official records related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The White House relented after an extended period of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
Citizens have been patient long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next heads to the president for his endorsement. The president stated on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “political stunt”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the weekend, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with victims and their supporters who were watching from a public section, cheered after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he worried the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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