Sept. 15 (UPI) — The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform unanimously voted Tuesday to recommend that the full House hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas issued in its investigation of the federal government’s handling of the criminal cases against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The committee voted 41-0 to hold Black in contempt, with ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., saying it was “a critical step in the fight for justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.”
The GOP-led committee has been investigating Epstein since February 2025, and has sought to speak with Black, a longtime friend and client of the disgraced New York financier, believing he has information related to how Epstein and Maxwell tried to curry favor and exercise influence to protect their illegal activities.
Black sat for a transcribed interview in June, but walked out about an hour into the interview after declining to answer questions concerning nondisclosure agreements. Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., then issued two subpoenas to Black, one to appear for a deposition and the second to produce nondisclosure agreements, but Black did not appear for the deposition and produced only one nondisclosure agreement, despite his counsel indicating there were more.
Earlier this month, Black, the former chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management, sued the committee, alleging the subpoenas exceeded its authority in seeking private information he says is not relevant to the lawmakers’ investigation.
During his opening remarks on Tuesday before the vote, Comer accused Black of “hiding behind litigation” to delay his testimony.
“The Committee wants to ensure that NDAs, or other confidentiality agreements, cannot be used to cover up criminal activities,” Comer said. “We made it clear to Mr. Black and his attorneys that if he did not comply, then the committee would initiate contempt proceedings. We have no choice but to hold him in contempt.”
Black’s attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler lambasted the contempt resolution as “a complete abomination,” saying the committee under Comer and Garcia “has lost sight of its legislative purpose and is abusing its power.”
“This is retaliation — plain and simple,” the lawyers said in a joint statement. “We have the constitutional right to sue Chairman Comer and the committee because the subpoenas issued were illegitimate, illegal and a textbook abuse of power designed to bully and destroy legal protections of private citizens.”
It was not clear when the full House will take up the measure.
Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges involving minors.
Black was an associate of Epstein from the 1990s and paid Epstein $158 million from 2013 to 2017 for tax and other services.
Source: U.S. News
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