Washington — The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously, 41-0, to recommend holding billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas tied to its investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Black, a former associate of the convicted sex offender, failed to appear before the committee on Sept. 3 and did not provide requested nondisclosure agreements. He is contesting the subpoenas in court, while his attorneys condemned the contempt recommendation as “a complete abomination.”
The resolution now moves to the full House, which will decide whether to refer the matter to the Justice Department for potential prosecution. The Justice Department would have sole authority to determine whether charges should be filed.
The timing of the House vote remains uncertain. Lawmakers are entering their final week in session before returning after Election Day.
Rep. James Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the committee’s chairman, issued the subpoenas after Black abruptly ended a voluntary, closed-door transcribed interview with lawmakers in June. Black had declined to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.
Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, hired Epstein as a wealth management adviser and paid him large sums of money for tax and estate-planning work. According to emails released last year, Black also allegedly discussed personal issues with Epstein, including extramarital affairs that resulted in nondisclosure agreements.
Black told lawmakers in June that he first met Epstein in the 1990s but did not begin paying him for financial advice until 2013. He has said he regrets hiring Epstein, accusing him of repeatedly lying and “falsely claim[ing] to have been involved in decisions about investments.” Black’s lawyers said over the summer that the private equity executive was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and maintained that Epstein “had no involvement with any NDA’s, whether they exist or not.” His legal team also said Tuesday that Black “never forced any woman to sign any NDA.”
Rather than testify in September, Black sued in D.C. federal court, arguing that the subpoenas were invalid. He said they had “no legitimate connection” to the committee’s legislative work and that producing the nondisclosure agreements would infringe on the privacy of women with “no known or public connection to Epstein.”
Comer said in a statement that Black “has chosen to hide behind litigation.”
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s top Democrat, said he “strongly” backed the contempt recommendation.
In letters sent before the vote, Black’s attorneys asked lawmakers to delay the proceedings until a court rules on his lawsuit. They also requested time for the Office of Congressional Conduct to review a planned complaint concerning Comer’s handling of the deposition.
“This is retaliation — plain and simple,” attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler said. “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.”
“This entire charade is about politics and ambition,” the attorneys added.
