House Oversight votes to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas

The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a resolution to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas and refusing to testify in front of the panel earlier this month.

Bipartisan lawmakers hoped to question Black about his ties to the late-convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including payments he made to Epstein, but the billionaire sued the panel to block the subpoenas instead of showing up for his deposition. 

Black has defended the payments as being for tax and estate planning, among other services.

“Mr. Black is hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said. "No one is above the law. Mr. Black will be treated the same as anyone else in this investigation, and his actions have consequences. 

"A little over two months ago, Mr. Black appeared before the committee for a transcribed interview, but only an hour into the interview, he began refusing to answer questions," he continued. "Subpoenas are not suggestions; they carry the force of law and require full compliance."

The vote to advance the resolution to a floor vote comes after Comer issued two subpoenas for Black in the middle of his voluntary transcribed interview in June over his refusal to answer questions. 

The first subpoena compelled Black to appear for a deposition, while the second subpoena required him to produce nondisclosure agreements to the committee. 

House Oversight Ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said the panel had numerous questions about Black’s financial ties to Epstein.

“We believe that Leon Black is at the heart of the Epstein network," Garcia said. "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."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.