House Oversight votes to hold Leon Black in contempt over Epstein deposition

The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday in a unanimous bipartisan vote held Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he failed to appear for the deposition related to his ties to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawmakers have sought to question Black, who co-founded Apollo Global Management, about payments he made to Epstein totaling millions over a number of years. The investor says the payments were for tax and estate planning, among other services, and he had no knowledge of any abuse.

Black walked out of a voluntary interview with the panel two months ago, and he sued the committee earlier this month on the day he was commanded to appear for a deposition.

“Mr. Black is hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people. No one is above the law. Mr. Black will be treated the same as anyone else in this investigation, and his actions have consequences. A little over two months ago, Mr. Black appeared before the committee for a transcribed interview, but only an hour into the interview, he began refusing to answer questions,” Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said at the start of the hearing.

“Subpoenas are not suggestions; they carry the force of law and require full compliance.”

Comer said in addition to failing to comply with the subpoena for a deposition, Black also only supplied one nondisclosure agreement following a subpoena for documents, despite an indication from his attorneys that there were additional documents.

Ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said the panel had numerous questions about Black’s financial ties to Epstein.

“We believe that Leon Black is at the heart of the Epstein network. This is a private equity billionaire worth roughly $13 billion dollars. We need to know why Jeffrey Epstein got over 180 million dollars from Mr. Black. We know this money enabled Epstein’s activities for years, and we need to know how and if it led to the abuse of women and girls. We need to know about Leon Black and Jeffrey Epstein’s financial dealings,” he said during the business meeting.

Black’s legal team did not immediately respond to request for comment.

His lawsuit, however, argues the committee lacks legal authority to enforce the subpoenas and that they improperly seek private information.

“Additionally, the subpoenas would also expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it, and who have no ability to protect themselves and their privacy before the Committee,” the complaint states.

A contempt resolution must be brought to the full House floor for consideration. If it is approved, it acts as a referral to the Justice Department, which must then determine whether to press charges.

The vote was the latest example of bipartisanship when it comes to investigating the dealings of Jeffrey Epstein.

The House voted earlier this year to force the Justice Department to release files related to the deceased financier while the committee has requested to speak with or compelled interviews from numerous subjects.

In July, Comer said he would also like to hear from Attorney General Todd Blanche.