The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing a legal summons tied to its probe of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Black, who maintained business ties with Epstein, failed to comply with a subpoena compelling him to appear before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month and provide documents concerning Epstein.
Black’s attorneys, who have challenged the subpoena in court, labeled the contempt action as “outrageous.”
Following the unanimous passage of the contempt measure, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer stated, “No one is above the law.”
“We will continue to pursue transparency for the American public and deliver justice for survivors.”
In a statement to the press, Black’s lawyers described the House action as an “outrageous measure that disregards the facts and the truth about Mr. Black.”
“The full House is holding him in contempt without regard for the ongoing litigation challenging the legality of the Committee’s actions or the ethics complaint against Chairman Comer,” they said.
The measure, adopted unanimously, will forward the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice, which will determine whether to pursue criminal prosecution against Black.
Congressman Robert Garcia, the committee’s senior Democrat, said the contempt vote “marks an important step toward justice and accountability.”
“We will continue to place survivors at the center of our efforts to hold those responsible for these horrific crimes,” he said.
Black withdrew from a voluntary testimony before the House Oversight Committee in June after being questioned about potential nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) he may have signed, lawmakers said.
Black departed Apollo Global Management, which he co‑founded, amid scrutiny in 2021 concerning his ties to Epstein, and he has denied any wrongdoing related to those dealings.
The subpoenas, requiring Black to produce the NDAs and provide an on‑camera, sworn deposition, were issued after his departure from the committee meeting in June.
Black has said he retained Epstein as a wealth‑management adviser, telling lawmakers in June that he provided Epstein with $158 million (£118 million) for legitimate purposes.
The billionaire added that he did not become aware of Epstein’s crimes until he was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019.
