The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for failing to respond to a subpoena issued in connection with the committee’s ongoing investigation into the late notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The vote by unanimous consent set the stage for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to certify the matter to refer Mr. Black’s conduct to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.
The remarks came a day after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 41-0 to pass a resolution recommending that the former bill be brought to the House floor. Apollo Global Management Despise the CEO.
It’s unclear whether the Justice Department will ultimately prosecute Black.
Defendants found guilty of contempt of Congress may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than one month but not more than 12 months.
“The Department of Justice expects to receive a referral from the House Oversight Committee and takes allegations of contempt of Congress seriously,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement to MS NOW.
“Over the past 18 months, the department has repeatedly stated that it will follow additional investigative leads on all matters related to Jeffrey Epstein,” the spokesperson said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will carefully consider the referral of Mr. Black and will not hesitate to pursue additional charges if the evidence supports this.”
The contempt action stems from Mr. Black’s failure to appear for a deposition after being issued a subpoena by the commission on September 3, and his failure to fully comply with another subpoena seeking a copy of a non-disclosure agreement he had previously signed.
Black submitted one of the non-disclosure agreements to the committee, which his lawyers said was the “only” one Epstein was aware of, but withheld other non-disclosure agreements.
“No one is above the law,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
“Leon Black ignored two subpoenas, but the U.S. House of Representatives acted quickly to hold him in contempt of Congress,” Comer said. “We will continue to demand transparency for the American people and justice for survivors in the investigation into the federal government’s response to the criminal cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
“This vote is an important step toward justice and accountability,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
“We will continue our fight to hold those responsible for these horrific crimes with survivors at the forefront,” Garcia said. “We’re just getting started.”
Black’s lawyers accused the House of Representatives of contempt of court, calling it an “outrageous act that ignores the facts and truth about Mr. Black.”
“The House hastened every step of this investigation, beginning with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Chairman Comer rushing to subpoena him,” attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler said in a statement.
“Then the committee rushed to hold him in contempt, even in the face of active litigation and ethics complaints. Now, the full House is holding him in contempt, regardless of active litigation and ethics complaints against Chairman (James) Comer, questioning the legality of the committee’s actions.
“Mr. Black is a private citizen who has helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs, donated more than $700 million to philanthropic and philanthropic causes, and supported cutting-edge research in cancer treatment,” the attorneys said. “It’s crazy to think that he’s facing contempt charges over an invalid subpoena. It’s so outrageous that this committee’s actions are reminiscent of the 1950s, when other Congressional committees abused their investigative powers and destroyed lives.”
Mr. Black sued the commission and Mr. Comer on September 3, seeking to suppress these subpoenas. The lawsuit is pending in federal district court in Washington.
“A subpoena is invalid to the extent that it exceeds (the committee’s) delegated authority to seek personal information that has no legitimate connection to (the committee’s) legislative purpose,” the complaint states.
The civil complaint states that the subpoenas issued by the commission “also expose before the commission women who value their privacy, have no known or official relationship with Epstein, seek confidentiality, refuse to release secrets, and are incapable of protecting themselves and their privacy.”
“Our lawsuit shows that the committee and Chairman Comer abused the power of Congress and violated the law,” Black’s lawyers said in a statement Wednesday.
They also said they believe the confidential ethics complaint they filed against Comer “further demonstrates that Speaker Comer has violated the rules of the House.”
Black has not been charged with any wrongdoing related to his dealings with Epstein, who committed suicide in 2019 after being indicted on child sex trafficking charges.
But he resigned as Apollo’s CEO in March 2021, two months after the company revealed that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017 for tax and estate planning advice.
Black said Mr. Epstein’s advice led to significant savings, but he knew at the time that Mr. Epstein had pleaded guilty in Florida state court in 2008 to two prostitution-related charges, including soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.
“Mr. Black has repeatedly stated that he feels terrible for Mr. Epstein’s victims and regrets doing business with Mr. Epstein,” Black’s attorney said Wednesday.
“He never abused women. He never was with underage women. He never engaged in sex trafficking. He never paid Epstein for access to women. He was never threatened by Epstein. Mr. Black had no knowledge of Epstein’s heinous acts. He never forced women to sign NDAs.”
