The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will force the release of official records related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a overwhelming vote in the lower house and a reversal by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The White House relented after an extended period of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Unanimous Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to the president for his endorsement. Trump indicated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the past few days, and said he would sign the measure if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their supporters who were watching from a public section, broke into applause after the bill was approved. The sole “no” vote came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would disclose personal information of people, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
Other News Updates
- Trump receives backlash for referring to a journalist as ‘piggy’ during a confrontation aboard Air Force One.
- Judge rejects ‘racially gerrymandered’ maps in Texas that gave Republicans additional districts.
- A significant number of Department of Education's powers reassigned to other federal departments as part of administration efforts.
- Large-scale operations extend to Raleigh, with local officials reporting ongoing activities.
