The Senate on Tuesday quickly approved to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of case documents concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by the president and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after an extended period of trying to block the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a massive majority.
“The American people have waited long enough. Those affected have waited long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader said in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Allow openness to prevail.”
Next Steps
The bill next will be sent to the president for his endorsement. The president stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.
Although the president has for an extended period downplayed the outcry over the official management of the scandal as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their supporters who were watching from a House gallery, cheered after the bill was enacted. The sole “no” vote came from Clay Higgins, who said he worried the measure would reveal specific data of people, potential suspects and others caught up in the investigation.
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