Black, who had business ties to Jeffrey Epstein, has sued the House Oversight Committee over its investigation of the disgraced financier.
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The House on Wednesday unanimously agreed to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt after he defied a congressional subpoena calling on him to testify before the House Oversight Committee about his business relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The decision came as lawmakers prepared to go back to their districts for seven weeks. It followed a unanimous recommendation from the Oversight Committee that Black be held in contempt.
Susan Estrich, a lawyer for Black, said in a statement that the House’s action was a “complete abomination.”
Black is suing the Oversight Committee in an attempt to block the subpoena, arguing that the panel is seeking information about him that is unrelated to its investigation of the deceased convicted sex offender.
Black and his team have also demanded that the Office of Congressional Conduct investigate Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky), alleging that Comer’s “actions and his statements continue to prove that he is no longer interested in finding the truth about Epstein.”
They further claim that Rep. Robert Garcia (California), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, “is spouting hate-filled lies about Mr. Black in the media and at every opportunity.”
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Comer, on Tuesday, said that Black is “hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people.” And Garcia, in a statement Wednesday, said holding Black in contempt is an “important step towards justice and accountability.”
“We are just getting started,” Garcia said.
Black has repeatedly avoided Oversight efforts to testify about Epstein. In June, he left a transcribed interview with the committee when asked about nondisclosure agreements related to Epstein.
Ahead of that interview, Black — who paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for financial services — said he learned about Epstein’s “nefarious activity” only after Epstein was charged in 2019 with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Black has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has said he never participated in any of the behavior Epstein was accused of.
“I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,” Black told the committee.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to two charges of soliciting prostitution, including one involving a minor. He was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in federal custody later that year. His death was ruled a suicide. Judges and lawmakers say that over decades, he abused, trafficked and molested scores of girls, many of whom have come forward in court and in other public forums.
Black has continued to deny any misconduct amid the battle over the subpoena, including immediately after refusing to be summoned by the committee.
“Mr. Black never abused a woman. He never was with an underage woman. He never engaged in sex trafficking. He never paid Epstein for access to women. He was never blackmailed by Epstein. Mr. Black regrets ever dealing with Epstein,” Estrich said.
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