Lawyers accuse House of Commons committee investigating sex offenders of a “fishing expedition” as MPs claim contempt.
Published September 3, 2026
Billionaire Leon Black has sued the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his influential social circle.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday after Mr. Black, co-founder and former chief executive officer of private equity firm Apollo Global Management, missed a scheduled deposition.
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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee had issued two subpoenas to Black when he appeared for a voluntary interview in June. Lawmakers at the time said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements related to Epstein.
Black’s lawyer said in a statement that the commission’s investigation was “a fishing operation that overstepped its authority and showed a complete disregard for its responsibilities.”
“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It’s about trying to destroy Mr. Black,” Susan Estrich said.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, called on Congress to “immediately” hold Mr. Black in contempt of Congress.
Holding an individual in contempt of Congress normally requires a vote of the full House. If passed, it would send subpoenas to federal prosecutors, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who could head a grand jury for potential indictments.
It remained unclear whether the Republican-controlled House would have the appetite to pursue such a measure.
“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is ignoring two Congressional subpoenas,” Garcia said.
Mr. Black’s lawsuit seeks to block subpoenas, one of which required Mr. Black to produce documents related to his relationship with Mr. Epstein. The other asked him to return for a deposition before the committee.
Mr. Black is one of several influential figures whose names repeatedly appeared in a series of files released by the Justice Department in recent months from the Epstein investigation.
The release comes after lawmakers from both parties banded together to pass legislation mandating Epstein’s release amid mounting speculation that the rich and powerful may have colluded in Epstein’s alleged crimes.
The investor was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges when he was found dead in a Manhattan jail in 2019. To date, only Epstein and his confidante Ghislaine Maxwell have been indicted in connection with the charges.
The House committee’s investigation is separate from the Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein, which has so far called for the appearance of several influential figures, including former Democratic President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The committee did not call President Donald Trump, who said he had a longtime friendship with Epstein before falling out with him in the early 2000s.
Despite the release of Justice Department documents, photos and files, lawmakers from both parties accused the department of not releasing all documents related to Epstein.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican and Trump critic, is among those calling for a vote on the new bill, the Epstein File Transparency Act 2.
The new bill would allow state attorneys general and Epstein’s survivors to sue the Justice Department for more unredacted files.
