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US Senate move quickly to pass legislation Just hours after the House of Representatives hearing, the Justice Department was forced to release files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This law was passed almost unanimously,
The Senate did not add the amendment, despite a proposal from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who initially opposed an initial vote in the House until President Donald Trump said at the last minute that he would sign the legislation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “When a bill passes the House with a majority of 27 to one and the President says he’s going to sign it into law, I’m not sure there would be a need for an amendment or a desire for the amendment process.” Independent After voting in the House.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) requested unanimous consent to consider the legislation passed as soon as it came to the Senate floor and sent it to Trump’s desk. Once the House sends up the legislative text, the bill will be considered passed and sent to Trump’s desk. As of Tuesday evening, the House has not sent the bill to the Senate.
“The American people have waited long enough. They want to see what’s in it,” Schumer said. Independent As the House prepared to vote on the legislation early Tuesday.
The vote ends a lengthy process on Capitol Hill to force the Trump administration to release files related to the late convicted sex offender who preyed on multiple girls and young women, many of whom came to Capitol Hill to plead his case for the files to be released.
But Republicans were relieved to move on from the entire episode.
“We have other important things to do, so I’m glad this is behind us,” said Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas). Independent,
In July, The Justice Department and the FBI released a two-page memo Saying that Epstein did not have a “client list” and that he likely killed himself when authorities arrested him and placed him in federal custody in 2019.
In turn, Representatives Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced a discharge petition to corner congressional leadership to force a vote to release the files. Every Democrat signed the petition along with a Republican representative. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
But the petition languished for months after Johnson refused to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) after she won a special election to replace her father. Johnson finally swore in Grijalva last week.
Initially, Trump condemned the efforts, calling them a “Democrat hoax” in September, on the same day that Epstein survivors came to Hill to plead their case. This disappointed the victims, some of whom supported Trump.
“I voted for him, I regret it,” survivor Haley Robson said. Independent. “I’ve given them multiple opportunities to talk to survivors, to meet with our lawyers, to talk to them, but as I said, there’s a lot of skepticism about how to proceed and what the agenda is.”
After this, Trump changed his mind and said that he would sign the law. After passage in the House, he wrote a winding, lengthy post saying he wants Republicans to focus on legislative accomplishments in his administration and move forward.
“I don’t care when the Senate passes the House bill, whether tonight, or any time in the near future,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump’s consent to the vote meant Republicans did not risk overstepping the president and receiving the wrath they rained on Greene, long one of his staunchest defenders.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) stated, “The President rightly called on the House to support the release of the Epstein files. I’m glad he did.” IndependentWhile plugging his podcast he said he did an episode.
But this does not guarantee that all the files survivors want will be released. Trump previously directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s ties to former President Bill Clinton and Democratic officials such as his former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, as well as LinkedIn founder and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, which Bondi said she would do.
Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) said, “He is hiding it and my fear is that he will continue to do so.” Independent“These are all investigations that he has instructed Attorney General Bondi to conduct,”
Schumer said Democrats will work to ensure the Bondi documents are not withheld.
“We have a number of different approaches, we will do everything we can to see this come to fruition,” he said. Independent“Pressure works,”