The invoice requiring launch of recordsdata associated to the Jeffrey Epstein case headed to President Trump’s desk for his signature Wednesday after a lightning-quick, near-unanimous passage in each homes of the often deeply divided Congress.
Trump has mentioned he’ll signal the measure after it raced by means of the Home, which voted 427-1 in favor, and the Senate, which rubber stamped it by unanimous consent.
Regardless of voting for the invoice because it was written, Home Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned late Tuesday that he was “deeply disappointed” the Senate didn’t make unspecified tweaks to the invoice.
He steered Trump has misgivings concerning the measure, though he insisted he wasn’t predicting the president wouldn’t signal it.
“We both have concerns about it, so we’ll see,” Johnson mentioned as he left a White Home dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Epstein abuse survivors and Congressional lawmakers attend a bipartisan vigil hosted by the Democratic Girls’s Caucus on Tuesday in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Pictures)
It wasn’t clear when Trump would possibly act on the invoice or how rapidly any new Epstein-related info is likely to be launched.
Enacting the invoice would cap a surprising defeat for Trump, who fought for months towards the push to reveal extra paperwork after reportedly being informed his identify seems many instances within the recordsdata associated to the kid sex-trafficking case.
Whilst Trump backed the invoice to launch the recordsdata, he continued to deride the Epstein scandal a “Democrat hoax” to tarnish his repute.
The invoice’s passage marks a victory for Epstein survivors and a small bipartisan group of Home lawmakers who final summer season launched a longshot effort to drive launch of the recordsdata.
The lawmakers launched an uncommon petition in July to maneuver round Johnson’s refusal at Trump’s behest to allow an up-or-down vote on the invoice.
The trouble ultimately gained the backing of a majority of the 435 Home members, together with all Democrats and a handful of Republicans, forcing Johnson to name a vote.
A protester holds a placard after the Home voted 427-1 to approve the Epstein Information Transparency Act and the discharge of paperwork and recordsdata on the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday in Washington, DC. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Pictures)
That opened a floodgate of assist, with Trump himself bowing to overwhelming stress to agree to not oppose the invoice.
Ultimately, just one lawmaker, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana), a far right-wing Trump stalwart, voted towards it, claiming the measure may set a nasty precedent.
Senate Majority Chief John Thune, who had beforehand been non-committal about even contemplating the invoice, rapidly modified his tune and agreed to again the demand by his Democratic counterpart Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) to grant unanimous consent to approve it.
