Congress Greenlights Bill to Make Public Jeffrey Epstein Records
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will require the publication of official records concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a case that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.
Swift Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have waited long enough. Those affected have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next will be sent to Donald Trump for his endorsement. Trump indicated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Although Trump has for months downplayed the outcry over the government’s handling of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the measure over the weekend, and said he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Response
Democrats, along with those affected and their advocates who were seated in a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he was concerned the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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