Congress Passes Legislation to Disclose Epstein Files
The Senate on this Tuesday passed without delay to legislation that will force the release of case documents related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but avoids a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Earlier that day, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally.
Citizens have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited patiently,” the Senate Democratic leader declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to pass it unanimously. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Future Action
The measure next heads to Donald Trump for his endorsement. The president indicated on the previous day that he would sign the measure.
Even though the president has for an extended period downplayed the controversy over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “Democrat hoax”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the weekend, and stated he would give his assent if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with victims and their advocates who were watching from a public section, applauded after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a GOP representative, who stated he worried the measure would disclose identifying details of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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