Donald Trump could still delay the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files, but it would prove very difficult to do so, according to a law expert.
Eric A. Baldwin, a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford Law School, told The Mirror US how the president could move to delay the release of Epstein’s files, and how the chances of such a delay happening are slim. It comes as the Epstein files bill passed 427-1 in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate.
Baldwin said, “In practice, that means leaders brought it up, asked for consent to pass it, and no senator objected. Under normal circumstances, if even a single senator wanted to slow or block the bill, they could force the chamber into the usual cloture process, where ending debate on a contested bill requires a three-fifths vote.
“Here, they did not need cloture at all because no one tried to mount a filibuster or even force a recorded vote. This proves how popular the bill is, even in these highly polarized times. Only after the bill reaches the President and is vetoed does the override question arise.”
“To override the veto, each chamber must repass the same bill by a two-thirds vote.” Should the bill be vetoed by Trump, it would return to Congress. It would then be up to each chamber to find the Republican votes necessary to achieve a two-thirds victory, a vote Baldwin believes would be very unlikely to occur.
Baldwin said, “Overrides are uncommon… achieving two-thirds support in both chambers for a politically sensitive issue is extremely difficult. I can’t think of any instances of close historical examples where Congress has overridden a veto in order to compel the release of potentially damaging information about a sitting president or his associates.”
“Override fights usually center on broad policy questions such as war powers, spending, or civil rights. In Trump’s last term, there was an override regarding Defense appropriations. A scenario built around disclosure obligations concerning the president would be unusual.”
Despite objections from House Speaker Mike Johnson, the bill was passed unanimously by the Senate with no alterations. It will force the release of all files and communications related to Epstein within 30 days and requires the Justice Department to make any information on its investigation into Epstein’s death in federal prison public.
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