US SENATE APPROVES BILL TO FORCE RELEASE OF CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER EPSTEIN’S FILES

Wed 19 November 2025:

The US Congress has passed a bill that could compel the Department of Justice (DoJ) to release all records related to the affair involving the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with the measure now heading to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the bill with 427 votes in favour and just one against.

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.

Later, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer used a congressional procedure that allows legislation to clear the chamber without a formal vote unless a senator objects.

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No senator objected, meaning that the text will now head to the White House for Trump’s signature. On Sunday, Trump had said Republicans in the House of Representatives “should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.”

Trump has been under pressure to release the documents after pledging to do so during his presidential campaign, with calls for full disclosure growing even within his own ranks.

Under the bill, the DoJ, federal prosecutors and the FBI would be required to release investigative, prosecution and detention records related to Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of the law taking effect.

The measure also orders the publication of Epstein’s flight logs, itineraries and related documents.

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

Before the approval, Trump dismissed concerns over the timing of Senate action on the House-passed bill, saying he is unconcerned about when the upper chamber chooses to move forward as long as Republicans remain focused on what he described as a string of recent policy wins.

“I don’t care when the Senate passes the House Bill, whether tonight, or at some other time in the near future. I just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we’ve had,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

It is not immediately clear when Trump will sign the bill.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. He had previously pleaded guilty and was convicted in 2008 of procuring a minor for prostitution.

His survivors have demanded accountability and legal support to face their abusers and achieve justice.

Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-profile connections, sexually abused and trafficked dozens of women and minors over many years. He died in a New York jail in 2019 in what officials ruled a suicide.

Especially in right-wing circles of US society, Epstein’s death led to wild speculation despite official findings, because the financier had excellent contacts in US high society.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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