WASHINGTON, United States – The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that billionaire investor Leon Black be held in contempt of Congress after he declined to comply with subpoenas issued as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The 41-0 vote sends the contempt resolution to the full House, which must decide whether to advance the matter. If the House approves the resolution, the case could be referred to the Justice Department for possible prosecution.
The committee is seeking Black’s testimony and documents, including nondisclosure agreements that lawmakers say are relevant to their investigation of Epstein’s relationships and the government’s handling of allegations involving the convicted sex offender.
Black has challenged the subpoenas in federal court, arguing that the committee exceeded its authority and that some of the requested material involves private information concerning people who have no known connection to Epstein.
Black declined deposition after earlier committee interview
The dispute followed a closed-door interview Black gave to the committee in June.
Black left that proceeding after lawmakers questioned him about nondisclosure agreements. The committee subsequently issued subpoenas requiring him to produce the agreements and return for a sworn deposition.
Black did not appear for the scheduled Sept. 3 deposition. Instead, he filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the subpoenas. His lawyers argued that the requests lacked a legitimate legislative purpose and improperly sought private information.
The Oversight Committee had previously given Black additional time before the deposition. According to the committee, he nevertheless failed to appear and did not produce the subpoenaed documents.
■ Related News
Black’s attorneys have characterized the congressional action as an abuse of the committee’s authority and have asked that the contempt proceedings be delayed while the court considers his challenge.
Committee seeks information about Epstein relationship
The Oversight Committee’s broader investigation examines how federal authorities handled Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Epstein cultivated relationships with wealthy and influential people.
Black had a longstanding financial relationship with Epstein. A review commissioned by Apollo Global Management, the private-equity firm Black co-founded, found that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for tax, estate-planning and related services. Black has said the payments were for legitimate professional work and that he did not know about Epstein’s criminal conduct.
Black left Apollo in 2021 amid scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein.
The committee is particularly interested in nondisclosure agreements because lawmakers say they could help establish what Epstein and Black discussed or what information was known about their relationship. Only one NDA has been provided to the committee, according to congressional investigators.
Black disputes the committee’s authority to obtain the agreements, arguing that they contain private information about women who have no known or public connection to Epstein.
Contempt resolution now goes to the House
The committee’s bipartisan vote does not itself make Black criminally liable.
The next step is consideration by the full House. If lawmakers approve a contempt resolution, it can be transmitted to the Justice Department, which would determine whether to pursue prosecution. Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor under federal law.
The dispute also remains subject to Black’s separate lawsuit challenging the subpoenas.
That means two processes are moving forward at the same time: Congress is seeking to enforce its demands for testimony and documents, while Black is asking a federal court to determine whether those demands are legally valid.
For the House investigation, the immediate question is whether the full chamber will adopt the committee’s contempt recommendation and what action, if any, the Justice Department takes afterward.
Reporting Credit: U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform — contempt resolution, subpoena history and investigation scope; U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — Leon Black’s legal challenge to the congressional subpoenas; Apollo Global Management’s commissioned 2021 review — findings concerning payments made by Black to Jeffrey Epstein.
