House panel recommends holding Leon Black in contempt in Epstein probe

The House Oversight Committee has voted unanimously to recommend holding billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas during its investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. The resolution now moves to the full House for a vote on whether to recommend the matter to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.

Black, a former business associate of Epstein, has been challenging the subpoenas in court. The contempt resolution could be voted on later this week, as the House's final session is after Election Day. The House Committee Chairman, GOP Rep. James Comer, issued the subpoenas after Black left a closed-door, voluntary interview with the panel in June, refusing to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.

Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser and paid him large sums for tax and estate planning services. Black allegedly discussed personal matters, including extramarital affairs, with Epstein, which ended in nondisclosure agreements. Black claimed he met Epstein in the 1990s and started paying him for wealth management advice in 2013.

He has since expressed regret for employing Epstein, stating that Epstein lied and falsely claimed involvement in investment decisions. Black's attorneys assert that he was unaware of Epstein's crimes and that Epstein had no involvement with any nondisclosure agreements. Instead of appearing before the committee, Black filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the subpoenas, arguing they had no legitimate connection to the committee's legislative purpose and would violate the privacy of women with no known connection to Epstein.

Black's attorneys urged the committee to postpone the markup until the court rules on his lawsuit and the Office of Congressional Conduct reviews a complaint about Committee Chairman Comer's conduct related to the deposition.