A billionaire private equity executive chose litigation over testimony Thursday morning, filing a federal lawsuit against congressional investigators rather than answering questions about his financial dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Leon Black, founder of Apollo Global Management, was scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee under subpoena on Thursday. Instead, his attorneys filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing the committee has exceeded its constitutional authority.
The civil complaint characterizes the congressional inquiry as a "public fishing expedition" designed to generate political attention rather than serve legitimate legislative purposes. Black's legal team contends the committee, led by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has overstepped the bounds that limit congressional investigative power.
Comer responded sharply to Black's absence, labeling his actions "unacceptable" and indicating the committee would consider contempt proceedings. Speaking to journalists on Capitol Hill, Comer emphasized Black's significance to the investigation, telling NPR that among all the prominent individuals the panel has interviewed, Black stands alone in filing a lawsuit to avoid testimony.
Black's name surfaces thousands of times in Justice Department files related to Epstein, though such appearances do not necessarily indicate criminal conduct. The committee has been examining the breadth of Epstein's connections to powerful figures in business and politics.
The Apollo Global Management founder previously appeared before the committee voluntarily in June. That session ended abruptly when Comer raised questions about nondisclosure agreements, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday.
The current dispute centers on a congressional subpoena demanding Black produce any nondisclosure agreements to which he is a party. Black's lawsuit states he has already provided the only confidentiality agreement in which Epstein could have been involved because it is the only one executed while Epstein was alive.
His attorneys argue that complying with the subpoena would expose the identities and private circumstances of women who negotiated confidentiality protections. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and died in prison weeks later in what authorities ruled a suicide.
Black has consistently maintained he had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities. An independent investigation commissioned by Apollo concluded that Black paid Epstein $158 million for tax, estate-planning, and other legitimate activities, according to the lawsuit.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calf., the committee's ranking member, called for contempt proceedings in a statement to NPR. Garcia accused Black of funding Epstein's abuse and trafficking of women, and noted that multiple women have accused Black of sexual assault.
The lawsuit references Black's June testimony, in which he categorically denied ever abusing a woman, being with an underage woman, engaging in sex trafficking, paying Epstein for access to women, or being blackmailed by Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee has conducted an extensive investigation into Epstein's network, questioning numerous high-profile individuals. Witnesses have included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Bill Gates, Victoria's Secret billionaire Les Wexner, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Epstein's former accountant Richard Kahn and former attorney Darren Indyke.
Earlier this year, Comer revealed that Kahn, who served as Epstein's accountant for more than a decade, testified that Black was among five clients who paid money to Epstein. The others on that list were Wexner, former Microsoft Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky, hedge fund investor Glenn Dubin, and the Rothschild family.
