The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will require the publication of official records associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in 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.
Expedited Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a massive majority.
Citizens have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next goes to Donald Trump for his approval. He stated on the previous day that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the measure over the past few days, and stated he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were seated in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he worried the measure would disclose specific data of people, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
Other News Updates
- The president is under fire for referring to a journalist as ‘piggy’ during a clash aboard Air Force One.
- Federal judge disallows ‘discriminatory’ maps in the state of Texas that allocated Republicans additional districts.
- Many of Department of Education's powers reassigned to other branches as part of administration efforts.
- Large-scale operations extend to Raleigh, with representatives noting ongoing activities.
