House votes to hold Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt of Congress

The House of Representatives voted unanimously Wednesday to find billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to a congressional probe into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Members passed the measure by unanimous consent one day after the House Oversight Committee voted 41-0 recommending the full House take action against Black for refusing to fully cooperate with its investigation into Epstein.

The resolution says “Mr. Black’s willful refusal to comply with the Oversight Committee’s subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for prosecution as prescribed by law.”

Attorneys for Black, co-founder and former head of the prestigious investment firm Apollo Global Management, condemned the contempt push as a “complete abomination” ahead of Tuesday’s committee action.

“This entire charade is about politics and ambition,” they said in a statement Tuesday, accusing the panel of trying to “blindly and recklessly tear down a wealthy man just because they can.”

Black had a lengthy business relationship with Epstein, a financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Black announced he was stepping down as Apollo CEO in January 2021 after an internal review found he had paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for advice on tax and estate planning services. The review found that Black was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight committee, told reporters Tuesday the panel had issued the subpoenas to Black to learn more about what he knew about Epstein’s inner circle and how Epstein was using his money.

Black has said he didn’t engage in any wrongdoing and “deeply” regrets his involvement with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Black hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement, and he has denied any involvement in or awareness of Epstein’s illegal activity.

Black voluntarily sat for a closed-door transcribed interview with the Republican-led committee in late June, but it ended early with lawmakers slapping him with two subpoenas for allegedly not being forthcoming.

Attorneys for Black said the questioning went well beyond the parameters of the panel’s investigation and accused the lawmakers of engaging in a fishing expedition.

“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black,” one of the lawyers, Susan Estrich, said earlier this month.

He didn’t show up for a deposition the committee scheduled for Sept. 3 and sued the panel, seeking to block the subpoenas for his appearance and nondisclosure agreements tied to Epstein.

In their statement Tuesday, Black’s attorneys called the contempt action “retaliation” for their client exercising his constitutional rights.