House Panel Votes To Hold Billionaire Leon Black In Contempt For Ghosting Epstein Investigators

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

Businessman Leon Black, who skipped a deposition regarding his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, should be held in contempt of Congress, a House of Representatives panel recommended on Sept. 15.

The House Oversight Committee unanimously voted 41-0 to advance a contempt resolution of Black, 75, to the full chamber. House leadership will decide whether to take up the matter in the future.

Black's lawyer did not return a request for comment by the time of publication.

Black was subpoenaed to testify to the committee regarding his relationship with Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution and faced sex trafficking charges when he died in federal prison in 2019. The committee also told Black, under subpoena, to provide documents it said were critical to its investigation of Epstein and his network.

"He defied Congress and refused to do either," Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), committee chairman, said ahead of the vote. "Instead, Mr. Black is hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people. No one is above the law. Mr. Black will be treated the same as anyone else in this investigation, and his actions have consequences."

Black had previously appeared for a voluntary interview, but had refused to answer some questions, prompting the subpoenas.

Black sued the committee after avoiding the subpoenas, telling a court that the subpoenas were invalid because they sought "private information that bears no legitimate connection" to the committee's legislative purpose and would "expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it, and who have no ability to protect themselves and their privacy before the Committee."

The case is ongoing.

Black, who co-founded Apollo Global Management, had a "close personal relationship" with Epstein during the time that Epstein was allegedly engaged in sex trafficking, according to a report from the panel. Black also paid Epstein more than $158 million over the years, and potentially more than $170 million, according to the report.

"As a result of his extensive dealings with Epstein, Mr. Black possesses firsthand information regarding the activities of Epstein and Maxwell and their efforts to establish relationships and curry favor with influential individuals while engaged in sex trafficking," the report said. "His testimony may inform the Oversight Committee's consideration of legislative reforms designed to combat the operation of sex-trafficking rings and efforts to shield such activities from scrutiny."

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the panel, said on Tuesday that lawmakers believe Black "is at the heart of the Epstein network."

"This is a private equity billionaire worth roughly $13 billion dollars. We need to know why Jeffrey Epstein got over 180 million dollars from Mr. Black. We know this money enabled Epstein's activities for years, and we need to know how and if it led to the abuse of women and girls. We need to know about Leon Black and Jeffrey Epstein's financial dealings," he added.