Billionaire investor Leon Black departed a closed-door hearing with the House Oversight Committee on Friday after refusing to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), according to lawmakers.
Black, whose name appears in documents related to the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had appeared voluntarily before the committee. He left after being questioned about NDAs he may have signed, committee chairman James Comer stated.
The House Oversight Committee had issued two subpoenas for Black, seeking NDAs and an on-camera deposition under oath. Black resigned from Apollo Global Management, the firm he co-founded, in 2021 amid scrutiny over his ties to Epstein. He has denied any wrongdoing.
"We want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs?" Comer said. "Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDA? We want to know everything about the NDAs."
NDAs are contracts where parties agree to keep information confidential, often as part of a settlement or employment agreement.
Black's attorneys confirmed his departure, stating that his legal team had made their final comments. The private equity tycoon had hired Epstein as a wealth management adviser and reportedly discussed personal matters with him, including extramarital affairs that resulted in NDAs, according to CBS News.
During his brief appearance, Black reportedly told the committee that he had paid Epstein $158 million for legitimate purposes over their association. This payment was previously scrutinized in a Senate investigation to determine if Black had intentionally overpaid Epstein, disguising payments for personal reasons as financial services.
Black's legal team has asserted that an internal investigation at Apollo by the Dechert law firm concluded that the fees paid to Epstein were for legitimate tax advice. Black also stated that he felt deceived by Epstein, saying, "I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde." He added, "With the benefit of hindsight, I now know, as does the world, that Epstein was engaged in horrific, sordid activities. I feel terrible for Epstein's victims." Black maintained that he was unaware of Epstein's activities until the financier was charged with trafficking in July 2019.
Black denied ever abusing a woman, being with an underage woman, engaging in sex trafficking, paying Epstein for access to women, or being blackmailed by him. His attorney, Susan Estrich, characterized the subpoenas as a "planned political stunt" and asserted that Epstein had no involvement with any NDAs.
The committee's top Democrat, Robert Garcia, stated that Black had "stormed out" of the interview when questioned about NDAs. "Leon Black had a chance to do the right thing and help us bring justice to the survivors," Garcia said. "Instead, he ran out of the room when he was pressed for information about his non-disclosure agreements with women and his relationship with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein." Garcia added that Black "will be held accountable if he doesn't comply with our investigation."