WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Wednesday to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress after the former hedge fund executive and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein declined to comply with subpoenas seeking additional testimony and documents.
The contempt measure passed by unanimous consent, one day after the House Oversight Committee approved it with support from both parties.
“No one is above the law,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said. “Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress.”
Comer added that lawmakers would continue pursuing information about the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases, saying the investigation was intended to promote transparency and seek justice for survivors.
Black’s lawyers, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, condemned the House action, calling the vote “an outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black.”
In a statement, the attorneys said a lawsuit filed by Black argues that the committee and Comer misused congressional authority and violated the law. They also said a confidential ethics complaint would allege that Comer breached House rules.
The lawyers maintained that Black had already cooperated by voluntarily sitting for a transcribed interview. They said he later complied with an Epstein-related subpoena after being misled about the interview’s purpose, arguing that his actions were consistent with the legislative goals Comer had publicly outlined for the investigation.
According to Black’s attorneys, he turned over the only confidentiality agreement known to have been seen by Epstein and testified about it. They also said they informed the committee that Maxwell had no involvement in any of the agreements.
The attorneys accused lawmakers of demanding records that do not exist, including details about every nondisclosure agreement Black signed during his roughly five-decade career. They said the requests extended to agreements involving business partners, people Black never met and members of his broader social circle.
“We intend to pursue our litigation challenging this action and will hold the Committee and Chairman Comer accountable in the courts,” the lawyers said.
Black, 75, had declined to comply with subpoenas issued earlier this year. The committee sought additional testimony under video recording, as well as information about nondisclosure agreements he signed with women connected to Epstein.
Earlier this month, Black, the former chief executive of Apollo Global Management, sued the Oversight Committee over its effort to require him to appear for a deposition scheduled for Sept. 3.
A 2021 review by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 through 2017 for services that included tax advice, estate planning and other financial management.
Those payments were made years after Epstein had served time in a state facility for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the agency had not yet received the House referral seeking contempt charges against Black. The spokesperson said the referral was expected shortly and that the allegations were being taken “seriously.”
“For the past 18 months, the Department has repeatedly said it will follow additional investigative leads in all matters relating to Jeffrey Epstein,” the rep added. “The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will review the referral of Mr. Black carefully and will not hesitate to pursue additional cases where the evidence supports.”
