The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will force the release of case documents associated with the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House gave in after an extended period of trying to forestall the joint action involving a case that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Unanimous Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Presidential Signature
The measure next goes to Trump for his signature. He signaled on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax”, he voiced approval for the measure over the weekend, and announced 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 watching from a House gallery, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he was concerned the measure would reveal personal information of people, potential suspects and others implicated in the investigation.
Additional News Updates
- Trump faces criticism for calling a female Bloomberg reporter as ‘piggy’ during a confrontation onboard Air Force One.
- Judge disallows ‘racially gerrymandered’ maps in the state of Texas that allocated Republicans additional districts.
- A significant number of US education agency’s powers reassigned to other federal departments as part of administration efforts.
- Mass federal immigration sweeps extend to North Carolina capital, with authorities confirming ongoing activities.
