House votes to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress in Epstein probe

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously voted to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision, made a day after the House Oversight Committee recommended the contempt action, sends the case to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.

Black, a former business associate of Epstein, failed to appear before the committee on September 3 and provide requested nondisclosure agreements. He subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging the subpoenas in a federal court in Washington, D.C. House Republicans and Democrats alike praised the move as a step towards transparency and accountability in the federal government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.

Black's attorneys, however, denounced the action as "outrageous" and accused the House of rushing through the inquiry, demanding information about past business relationships and social connections over a 50-year career.