Congress Passes Legislation to Disclose Jeffrey Epstein Files
The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of official records related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a change of position by the president and his Republican allies. The administration gave in after an extended period of trying to delay the joint action involving a scandal that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Passage in Congress
The Senate acted by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, accelerating the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have endured sufficient delay. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” the top Senate Democrat said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Uncover the facts. Allow openness to prevail.”
Future Action
The bill next heads to the president for his signature. Trump signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Even though the president has for an extended period downplayed the uproar over the government’s handling of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it comes to him.
Reaction
The Democratic party, along with survivors of Epstein and their supporters who were present in a public section, broke into applause after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from Clay Higgins, who said he worried the measure would disclose personal information of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others involved in the investigation.
Additional Headlines
- Trump is under fire for calling a correspondent as ‘piggy’ during a disagreement aboard Air Force One.
- Judge disallows ‘racially gerrymandered’ maps in the state of Texas that awarded GOP extra districts.
- Many of Department of Education's authorities transferred to other federal departments as part of White House efforts.
- Raids move to North Carolina capital, with representatives reporting ongoing activities.
