US House holds Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt

The US House of Representatives held billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress on Wednesday for defying subpoenas issued in its investigation into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The resolution was adopted by unanimous consent, without a recorded vote, a day after the House Oversight Committee unanimously recommended the action.

The matter will now be referred to the justice department, which will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

“No one is above the law. Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the US House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress,” panel chairman Jamie Comer said in a statement.

“We will continue to seek transparency for the American people and justice for survivors in our investigation of the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.”

Black, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management, failed to appear for a Sept 3 deposition and did not fully comply with a separate subpoena seeking nondisclosure agreements.

His lawyers called the House action “outrageous”, accused lawmakers of rushing the process and said they would continue a court challenge to the subpoenas, US media reported.

Black had appeared voluntarily before the committee in June, acknowledging that he paid Epstein US$158 million for tax and estate-planning advice.

But that session ended early after he declined to answer questions about some nondisclosure agreements, prompting lawmakers to demand further testimony and documents.

Black has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.

Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges involving minors, in what authorities ruled a suicide.

The scandal has continued to dog Washington, with lawmakers pursuing testimony and documents from prominent political and business figures who had ties to the disgraced financier.