US Senate unanimously approves bill to force release of Epstein files, sending it to Trump's desk

The US Capitol dome. (Photo/Reuters)

The US Senate cleared, by unanimous consent, a House-approved measure directing the Justice Department to disclose all unclassified records tied to disgraced convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer secured unanimous consent to clear the Epstein Files Transparency Act as soon as it arrived from the House, just hours after the lower chamber approved it in a 427–1 vote.

"The Senate has now passed the Epstein bill as soon as it comes over from the House," Schumer told the Senate floor.

The bill now heads to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.

Republican rift

For years, Trump's right-wing movement encouraged followers to believe that the government was covering up a major conspiracy.

But Trump's Justice Department said in July officials had completed an "exhaustive review" of the case and had "no basis to revisit the disclosure" of any Epstein materials.

The White House escalated efforts last week to mothball the vote, with Trump and his allies making last-minute appeals to two of the Republican signers of the discharge petition.

This caused an uproar in Trump's base.

The rupture widened when Trump pulled his endorsement of top loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene in a stunning break that she said "has all come down to the Epstein files."

"The real test will be, will the Department of Justice release the files? Or will it all remain tied up in investigations?" she said at the news conference.

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Source: TRT