Congress Passes Measure to Release Jeffrey Epstein Files
The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of case documents associated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The White House changed course after months of trying to forestall the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
The public have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to Trump for his approval. He signaled on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Although Trump has for an extended period rejected the controversy over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and stated he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Response
Democrats, along with victims and their representatives who were seated in a viewing area, cheered after the bill was passed. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he feared the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others caught up in the investigation.
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