House Votes to Hold Leon Black in Contempt

The House of Representatives voted to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress on Wednesday, following his defiance of subpoenas for further testimony and information related to the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigations. The contempt resolution passed by unanimous consent after advancing from the Oversight Committee with bipartisan support.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer stated, “No one is above the law. Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress.” He added, “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's attorneys, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, criticized the vote as an “outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black.” They asserted that their lawsuit demonstrates the committee and Chairman Comer abused their power and broke the law, and that a confidential ethics complaint will further show Comer violated House rules. They claimed Black cooperated by voluntarily appearing for a transcribed interview and providing the only confidentiality agreement known to Jeffrey Epstein. They also stated Black testified that Ghislaine Maxwell had no involvement in any agreements.

“Mr. Black provided the Committee with the only confidentiality agreement that Jeffrey Epstein knew about as part of Mr. Black’s cooperation with the Committee’s efforts to ferret out the truth about Epstein. He also testified to this fact. We also told them that Ghislaine Maxwell had absolutely nothing to do with any of the agreements,” the attorneys said. They further argued the committee is seeking non-existent information and attempting to compel testimony about all non-disclosure agreements Black has ever signed, including those with business partners and individuals he never met.

Black, 75, had previously ignored subpoenas demanding further testimony and documents related to non-disclosure agreements he signed with women linked to Epstein. Earlier in September, he filed a lawsuit against the Oversight Committee challenging their attempts to compel his deposition. An Apollo review in 2021 revealed that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for financial services, years after Epstein had served time for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

A Department of Justice spokesperson indicated that while a contempt referral from the House had not yet been received, it was expected soon. The spokesperson affirmed the department takes such allegations seriously and will review any referral from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, prepared to pursue additional cases if the evidence warrants.