Key takeaways:
- The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously, 41-0, to advance a contempt resolution against Leon Black to the full House.
- Black did not appear for a Sept. 3 deposition and is challenging subpoenas seeking his testimony and nondisclosure agreements in federal court.
- Black has denied wrongdoing and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes; his attorneys called the contempt effort retaliation and a “complete abomination.”
The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend holding billionaire financier Leon Black in contempt of Congress, escalating a fight over subpoenas issued in its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
The 41-0 vote sends the contempt resolution to the full House, which would decide whether to refer the matter to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. Any charging decision would rest with the Justice Department. Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the committee, told NBC News after the vote that he expects the House to take up the resolution on Thursday, though the timing was not otherwise clear.
“Subpoenas are not suggestions; they carry the force of law and require full compliance,” Comer said before the vote, according to The Guardian. He said Black’s testimony was “crucial” because Black “maintained a close personal relationship with Epstein for years during the time when Epstein was engaged in sex trafficking.”
Black, a co-founder and former head of Apollo Global Management, had a business relationship with Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Black has denied wrongdoing and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The committee issued subpoenas after Black appeared voluntarily for a closed-door transcribed interview in June. The interview ended abruptly after lawmakers said Black refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. Comer then issued subpoenas seeking Black’s testimony at a Sept. 3 deposition and the production of nondisclosure agreements.
Black did not appear for the deposition. Comer said Tuesday that Black “only produced one NDA to the committee,” The Guardian reported.
Instead, Black sued in federal court in Washington to block the subpoenas. His lawsuit argues that they are invalid because they seek private information with “no legitimate connection” to the committee’s legislative purpose. It also says producing the agreements would expose the identities and private information of women who have “no known or public connection to Epstein,” bargained for confidentiality and have no way to protect themselves before the committee.
Black’s attorneys, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, urged the committee to delay the contempt proceeding until the court rules on the lawsuit and until the Office of Congressional Conduct reviews a complaint they said they planned to file about Comer’s conduct related to the deposition.
“This is retaliation — plain and simple,” the attorneys 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.” They called the contempt effort “a complete abomination” and said, “This entire charade is about politics and ambition.”
Comer said Black “has chosen to hide behind litigation.” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s top Democrat, said he strongly supported the contempt move and called Tuesday “a really important day for justice,” according to NBC News.
Black employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser, paying him large sums for tax and estate planning services. NBC News reported that an internal review found Black paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning advice and related services from 2012 to 2017, and that the review found Black was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities. The Guardian, citing The New York Times, reported that Black paid Epstein a total of $170 million for what Black described as tax and estate planning services from 2013 to 2017.
Black has said he regrets doing business with Epstein. His attorneys said he “never abused a woman,” “never was with an underage woman,” “never engaged in sex trafficking,” “never paid Epstein for access to women” and “had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s heinous conduct.” They also said Epstein “had no involvement with any NDA’s, whether they exist or not,” and that Black “never forced any woman to sign any NDA.”
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