Congress Greenlights Measure to Release Jeffrey Epstein Records
The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to a measure that will require the publication of investigative files related to the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by the president and his GOP allies. The administration changed course after months of trying to block the joint action involving a scandal that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, expediting the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
The measure next heads to Donald Trump for his signature. Trump indicated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for months downplayed the outcry over the authorities' approach of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Response
The Democratic party, along with those affected and their advocates who were watching from a viewing area, broke into applause after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who expressed concern he feared the measure would make public identifying details of individuals involved, those under scrutiny and others implicated in the investigation.
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