House votes to hold Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt of Congress

The House of Representatives voted unanimously Wednesday to find billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to a congressional probe into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Members passed the measure by unanimous consent one day after the House Oversight Committee voted 41-0 recommending the full House take action against Black for refusing to fully cooperate with its investigation into Epstein. The resolution says “Mr. Black’s willful refusal to comply with the Oversight Committee’s subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for prosecution as prescribed by law.” Attorneys for Black, co-founder and former head of the prestigious investment firm Apollo Global Management, released a statement calling the House measure an “outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black.” “The full House is holding him in contempt without any regard to the active litigation challenging the lawfulness of the Committee’s actions and the ethics complaint against Chairman Comer,” they wrote. Earlier this month, Black sued the Oversight Committee, seeking to block subpoenas it had issued for his appearance and nondisclosure agreements tied to Epstein. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chair, said Wednesday’s action shows that “No one is above the law. Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress.” The top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, called the vote “an important step towards justice and accountability.” He said members need to know why Black “gave Jeffrey Epstein $180 million dollars.” Black had a lengthy business relationship with Epstein, a financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Black announced he was stepping down as Apollo CEO in January 2021 after an internal review found he had paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for advice on tax and estate planning services. The review found that Black was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities. Black has said he didn’t engage in any wrongdoing and “deeply” regrets his involvement with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Black hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement, and he has denied any involvement in or awareness of Epstein’s illegal activity. Black voluntarily sat for a closed-door transcribed interview with the Republican-led committee in late June, but it ended early with lawmakers slapping him with two subpoenas for allegedly not being forthcoming. Attorneys for Black said the questioning went well beyond the parameters of the panel’s investigation and accused the lawmakers of engaging in a fishing expedition. “This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black,” one of the lawyers, Susan Estrich, said earlier this month. He didn’t show up for a deposition the committee scheduled for Sept. 3 and filed suit against the panel. In a statement Tuesday, Black’s attorneys called the contempt action “retaliation” for their client exercising his constitutional rights.