The House Oversight and Reform Committee has voted 41-0 to recommend that billionaire investor Leon Black be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein. Black, a former business associate of the convicted sex offender, failed to appear before the panel on September 3 or produce requested nondisclosure agreements.
The resolution now moves to the full House for a vote on whether to refer the matter to the Justice Department for potential prosecution. However, any decision to pursue charges rests solely with the DOJ. It remains unclear when the House will schedule this vote, as it is the final week of the current session before the congressional recess for Election Day.
Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, issued the subpoenas after Black abruptly departed a voluntary, transcribed interview in June. During that session, Black declined to answer questions regarding nondisclosure agreements. According to emails released previously, Black employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser starting in 2013, paying him substantial sums for tax and estate planning services. The correspondence also suggests Black shared personal details about extramarital affairs with Epstein.
Black has stated he regrets hiring Epstein, alleging that the financier repeatedly lied and falsely claimed involvement in investment decisions. His legal team has maintained that Black was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities and asserted that Epstein had no role in any nondisclosure agreements, whether they exist or not.
Rather than appearing before the committee this month, Black filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., challenging the subpoenas’ validity. His attorneys argued that the documents have no legitimate connection to the committee’s legislative purpose and that releasing them would violate the privacy rights of women who have no public link to Epstein.
Chairman Comer criticized Black’s legal strategy, stating in a release that the billionaire has chosen to “hide behind litigation.” Meanwhile, Ranking Member Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, expressed strong support for the contempt recommendation.
Attorneys for Black, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, urged the committee to delay the markup until after a court ruling on the lawsuit and after the Office of Congressional Conduct had time to review a complaint regarding Comer’s conduct during the deposition. They characterized the move as “retaliation” and described the subpoenas as illegitimate and an abuse of power designed to intimidate private citizens.
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Does contempt actually mean anything here? DOJ seems unlikely to prosecute, so this feels like theater.
Wait, he paid Epstein for estate planning and shared affair details? The emails sound incredibly damning.
Unanimous vote is rare. Shows Congress sees this as a straightforward defiance issue, not politics.