US Congress approves bill to release Epstein documents

Both chambers of Congress agreed to order the U.S. justice department to release its files on sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein, the BBC writes.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure in a 427-1 vote and the Senate unanimously fast-tracked it without a formal vote.

The moves come just days after President Donald Trump reversed his position and urged Congress to vote to disclose the records following public pushback from many of his supporters.

Last week, Trump and his ties to Epstein were thrust back into the headlines after more than 20,000 pages of documents – some mentioning the president – were released. The White House denied any wrongdoing.

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 7, 2019, on charges of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. A month later, he was found dead in a New York jail. The cause of death was suicide.