The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress, marking the first time lawmakers have taken such a step against a witness in the House Oversight Committee's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The bipartisan resolution followed Black's refusal to supply additional information about his relationship with Epstein, the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier.
Black disregarded two congressional subpoenas issued by the panel. He did sit for a closed-door, voluntary interview in June, but departed before it concluded. According to lawmakers, he declined to answer questions regarding nondisclosure agreements.
The Republican-led committee had subpoenaed Black to return for a deposition under oath and to produce any nondisclosure agreements he signed, including any executed with survivors of Epstein's abuse. Rather than comply, Black filed a lawsuit against the committee and its chairman, Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, accusing them of exceeding their authority.
Speaking to the committee on Tuesday, Comer stated that Black "defied Congress."
"Mr. Black is hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people," Comer said at the committee meeting. "No one is above the law."
Black's attorneys, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, described the resolution on Wednesday as "politically motivated and completely retaliatory." They maintained that Black cooperated with the committee by appearing for the initial transcribed interview.
"This [is] an outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black," they said in a joint statement.
The resolution will now be sent to the Department of Justice, which will determine whether to prosecute Black.
Others have also resisted the House committee's inquiry into Epstein's crimes. In January, the committee voted to recommend contempt charges for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Clintons initially contested calls to testify, asserting they knew very little about Epstein and had already disclosed everything they knew. That vote never reached the House floor because they ultimately relented and appeared for recorded depositions.
Prosecuting individuals held in contempt is uncommon, but it has occurred. During the Biden administration, two former Trump advisers — Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro — each served four months in prison after failing to cooperate with the Democrats' investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Black is the co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. His name appears in the Justice Department's Epstein files thousands of times. Appearing in the files is not necessarily an indication of criminal wrongdoing.
Between 2013 and 2017, Black paid Epstein millions of dollars. This followed Epstein's initial conviction in 2008 when he pleaded guilty to prostitution charges involving a minor under the age of 18.
During his appearance before the committee in June, Black delivered a lengthy written statement explaining that he paid Epstein over $100 million for tax and estate planning services.
Epstein's tax work saved Black "billions of dollars," he told committee members. Black stepped down from the top job at Apollo in 2021 after the payments became public. He has denied any wrongdoing associated with his relationship with Epstein.
A number of survivors of Epstein's abuse signed onto a statement commending Comer.
"By moving to hold Leon Black in contempt, Chairman Comer is sending a clear message that wealth and influence do not put anyone beyond the reach of congressional oversight," the survivors said in a statement.
They are pushing for the committee to hear from Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's former attorney, and Attorney General Todd Blanche, who oversaw the release of the Epstein files.
As it moves into its second year of investigation, 19 people have appeared before the committee. In addition to Bill and Hillary Clinton, members have spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Bill Gates, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Epstein's former accountant, Richard Kahn, and former attorney, Darren Indyke.
On Wednesday, Comer introduced a bill to allow survivors to share their sexual abuse stories even if they signed a nondisclosure agreement.
Just before the resolution passed on Wednesday, California Representative Robert Garcia, the lead Democrat on the committee, said the investigation is just getting started.
"What I just want folks to know is this is an important step towards justice, but there is just an enormous amount of work to be done," Garcia said at the committee meeting.
