Topline
The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt for defying a subpoena to testify about Jeffrey Epstein, escalating lawmakers’ feud with the billionaire over his refusal to testify about Epstein and raising the possibility Black could face criminal charges.
Leon Black arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on June 26 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
The House Oversight Committee held a contempt vote on Black on Tuesday after the billionaire had twice refused to answer questions about Epstein, storming out of his first interview with the committee in June and then refusing to show up when subpoenaed to testify earlier in September.
Black was one of Epstein’s primary clients, paying the financier at least $170 million for tax and estate planning, and lawmakers have specifically sought to question him about any non-disclosure agreements he may have reached with Epstein victims. (Black has denied any wrongdoing.)
The billionaire cut his June testimony short after lawmakers started asking about his NDAs—after Black first alleged Epstein was not involved with any NDAs he reached with women—and then sued the committee on the date of his second planned appearance in September, challenging the validity of his subpoenas and accusing the committee of carrying out a “political stunt” by forcing him to testify.
The contempt resolution still has to be presented to the House of Representatives for a full vote before Black is formally held in contempt.
Committee chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said before the vote Black is “hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people.”
Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, previously decried the planned contempt vote as “transparently retaliatory” and said Black’s team would “vigorously pursue our lawsuit” against the committee “for abusing their power by unlawfully bullying and destroying legal protections of private citizens.”
Chief Critic
Estrich said in a statement emailed to Forbes the vote was a “complete abomination” and the committee has “lost sight of its legislative purpose and is abusing its power,” arguing her office has the right to sue Comer and the committee because “the subpoenas issued were illegitimate, illegal, and a textbook abuse of power designed to bully and destroy legal protections of private citizens.”
What To Watch For
The committee’s vote Tuesday means the contempt resolution against Black will now move to the full House. It will be up to House leadership if and when the measure will be brought up for a vote, with Comer telling Politico on Monday before the vote, “It’s in the leadership’s hands after tomorrow.” If the full House votes to hold Black in contempt, the matter would be referred to the Justice Department, which could bring criminal charges against the billionaire. If he’s indicted and convicted, criminal contempt is punishable by up to one year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.
Forbes Valuation
Forbes estimates Black’s net worth at $14.6 billion as of Tuesday afternoon, making him the 213th-richest person in the world.
Why Do Lawmakers Want To Question Leon Black?
The House Oversight Committee wants to speak with Black given his position as one of Epstein’s closest business associates, with NBC News noting the phrase “Please call Leon Black” appears in the Epstein files some 300 times. “As you are well aware, There is little I won’t do for you, or at least try to do as a friend, and a great deal that I have already done (both known [and] some things that [will need] to remain unknown),” Epstein told Black in a 2014 email. There are also numerous outstanding questions regarding Black’s financial transactions, with critics questioning why the ex-Apollo chief paid Epstein abnormally high rates for his services and why he paid $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle legal claims related to Epstein. Black has been accused of sexual abuse in connection with Epstein by at least four women, though he has denied any wrongdoing. (All but one of the lawsuits regarding those allegations have been dropped or dismissed.) The billionaire has similarly denied reaching NDAs with Epstein victims, as well as The New York Times reporting suggesting Epstein may have been used to pay women on Black’s behalf. Comer has said lawyers for the victims have contradicted Black’s claims, however, and have told the committee there are “multiple” NDAs involving the billionaire. Lawmakers do not know how many agreements Black allegedly reached and whom they could involve, and the billionaire is allegedly one of multiple Epstein associates who signed NDAs with some of the late financier’s victims. Business Insider previously reported it’s still unclear how many NDAs were signed and which of Epstein’s friends were involved—but House Oversight’s investigation could be a key way to find that out, given the committee can compel parties to testify about NDAs if they’re subpoenaed.
What Has Leon Black Said About Epstein?
Black categorically denied any wrongdoing in his first interview with House Oversight in June, according to the transcript, telling lawmakers, “I was not involved with and had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s heinous conduct.” While he denied having any NDAs that involved Epstein, he did confirm paying an unnamed woman $21 million after she allegedly “blackmailed and extorted him” over their affair. The billionaire said he met Epstein in the 1990s, well before hiring him to handle Black’s finances in 2013, and continued to hang around with him because of Epstein’s coterie of high-profile friends. Black said he “enjoyed taking advantage of all the network of interesting people [Epstein] knew” and was introduced to such people as Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Deepak Chopra through the financier. He refused to describe Epstein as being his “friend,” however—even when confronted with a letter that he signed, “Love and Kisses, Leon.” (When asked, “So do you sign birthday letters to all of your business associates with love and kisses, dear friend?” Black responded, “Sometimes.”) Black was also asked about a poem he wrote to Epstein for the financier’s infamous 50th birthday book, in which he referenced women, writing, “By Birds and by Bucks, Cs and Ms are his key? / Blond, red, or brunette spread out geographically.” The billionaire said his language was referring to the fact Epstein “liked money and he liked women,” describing Epstein as a “confirmed bachelor” who “liked women, whether they were blond, redheaded, or brunettes.” Black denied he was referring to any women specifically, as well as any knowledge of Epstein associating with underage women, but said Epstein “seemed to know women all over the world,” “enjoyed the company of good women” and had a staff made up of “mostly good-looking women.”
Why Is Leon Black Suing The House Oversight Committee?
Black’s attorneys have decried the questions about his NDAs as a “premeditated decision” by lawmakers and a “planned political stunt,” cutting the billionaire’s June interview short after lawyers for Black and the committee argued over whether he had to discuss the agreements. In his lawsuit filed in federal court, Black and his attorneys allege the subpoenas for his testimony and the NDAs are invalid because the House Oversight Committee exceeded its authority by “seeking private information that bears no legitimate connection to” lawmakers’ legislative work. The lawsuit also alleges the subpoenas would “expose women who value their privacy” and don’t have any connection to Epstein, and argues the committee is “pursuing Mr. Black for purely political gain.” Comer has opposed the arguments that the subpoenas don’t serve a valid legislative purpose, writing in a letter to Black’s attorneys before the lawsuit was filed, “Ultimately, it is the Committee—not you and your client—that will determine the value and relevance of information your client has regarding the Committee’s investigation into the actions of Mr. Epstein, Ms. Maxwell, and their associates.” The litigation remains pending in federal court and no hearings or deadlines have yet been scheduled, making it hard to say how long the case could take to play out.
Further Reading
Billionaire Leon Black Sues Congress As He Skips Out On Testifying About Epstein (Forbes)
Leon Black Walks Out Of Epstein Interview After Being Subpoenaed, Decries ‘Political Stunt’ (Forbes)
Leon Black Says Epstein Introduced Him To Elon Musk (Forbes)
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