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The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will mandate the disclosure 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. The administration changed course after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has followed the president since his comeback to the White House.

Expedited Approval in Congress

Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, speeding up the process. Hours earlier, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.

The public have been patient long enough. Those affected have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer stated in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before urging the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”

Future Action

The bill next heads to the president for his approval. Trump stated on the previous day that he would approve the bill.

Although the president has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the official management of the scandal as a “false narrative”, he voiced approval for the legislation over the past few days, and stated he would approve it if it comes to him.

Response

Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were seated in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who said he was concerned the measure would make public personal information of witnesses, potential suspects and others involved in the investigation.

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