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House Oversight Votes to Hold Leon Black in Contempt of Congress for Defying Subpoenas
Confirmed
In Short: The House Oversight Committee voted to advance a resolution to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt for refusing to testify and produce documents related to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
House Oversight Committee members voted unanimously to advance a resolution to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas and refusing to testify in front of the panel. The committee had issued two subpoenas to Black, one for a deposition and another to produce nondisclosure agreements, but he began refusing to answer questions after an hour during a voluntary transcribed interview.
Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, detailed how Black defied the subpoenas during the committee's proceedings. 'We believe that Leon Black is at the heart of the Epstein network,' Comer said, adding that the panel had numerous questions about Black's financial ties to Epstein. The vote to advance the resolution to a floor vote comes after Black sued the panel to block the subpoenas.
Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement that the committee was on a 'fishing expedition' that overstepped its authority. 'This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black,' she said. The lawsuit seeks to stop the panel from enforcing its subpoenas against Black.
Lawmakers have sought more information on the financial web that allowed Epstein to fund his sex trafficking operation and whether Black was involved or aware of any illegal activity. They specifically have sought information about any nondisclosure agreements Black signed with women. In 2022, Black was sued over allegations that he raped a woman in Epstein’s New York City mansion in 2002, but a review found that he was not involved in Epstein's criminal activities.
Black has defended the payments as being for tax and estate planning, among other services. The committee is investigating how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny.
What's confirmed
- House Oversight Committee members voted unanimously to advance a resolution to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas and refusing to testify in front of the panel. The committee had issued two subpoenas to Black, one for a deposition and another to produce nondisclosure agreements, but he began refusing to answer questions after an hour during a voluntary transcribed interview.
- Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, detailed how Black defied the subpoenas during the committee's proceedings. 'We believe that Leon Black is at the heart of the Epstein network,' Comer said, adding that the panel had numerous questions about Black's financial ties to Epstein. The vote to advance the resolution to a floor vote comes after Black sued the panel to block the subpoenas.
- Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement that the committee was on a 'fishing expedition' that overstepped its authority. 'This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black,' she said. The lawsuit seeks to stop the panel from enforcing its subpoenas against Black.
- Lawmakers have sought more information on the financial web that allowed Epstein to fund his sex trafficking operation and whether Black was involved or aware of any illegal activity. They specifically have sought information about any nondisclosure agreements Black signed with women. In 2022, Black was sued over allegations that he raped a woman in Epstein’s New York City mansion in 2002, but a review found that he was not involved in Epstein's criminal activities.
- Black has defended the payments as being for tax and estate planning, among other services. The committee is investigating how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny.
What's still developing
- Instead, Mr. Black is hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people.