House committee votes to hold Leon Black in contempt over Epstein subpoenas

The House oversight committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that the House of Representatives hold billionaire financier Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with subpoenas seeking his testimony and nondisclosure agreements tied to the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

The 41-0 bipartisan vote sends the contempt resolution to the full House, marking the latest escalation in a dispute over congressional subpoena power and the private records of a wealthy Epstein associate.

“Subpoenas are not suggestions; they carry the force of law and require full compliance,” committee Chair James Comer said before the vote. “Mr Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation because he maintained a close personal relationship with Epstein for years during the time when Epstein was engaged in sex trafficking.”

Comer said the committee had made clear to Black and his attorneys that failure to comply would prompt contempt proceedings. The committee passed the resolution 41-0, and Comer said the panel now moves the report to the full House. The office of House Speaker Mike Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the lower chamber would consider the measure.

Black has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. The New York Times reported that Black paid Epstein a total of $170m for what he described as tax and estate planning services from 2013 to 2017.

The committee issued the subpoenas in June, after Black appeared voluntarily for a transcribed interview that ended abruptly when lawmakers said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. Comer then issued two subpoenas: one demanding all nondisclosure agreements to which Black is a party, and another requiring him to appear before the committee again.

Black did not appear for his scheduled 3 September deposition and produced only one NDA, Comer said Tuesday. In August, Comer had threatened to hold Black in contempt if he did not fully cooperate.

Black contends the subpoenas are invalid and has sued to block them. His lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee’s delegated authority by seeking private information that bears no legitimate connection to its legislative purpose and would expose women who value their privacy and have refused to release it.

Black’s attorney said in a statement Tuesday that the committee under Comer and ranking member Robert Garcia “has lost sight of its legislative purpose and is abusing its power,” calling the subpoenas “illegitimate, illegal and a textbook abuse of power designed to bully and destroy legal protections of private citizens.”

Black’s attorneys also asked for a postponement of Tuesday’s markup, describing it as a “complete abomination,” and said they would submit a complaint to the office of congressional conduct alleging Comer violated House rules relating to the deposition.

Before the scheduled deposition, more than a dozen survivors of Epstein’s abuse urged Black to comply with the congressional subpoenas, arguing that his use of NDAs underscores why Congress must scrutinize the agreements and whether they shed light on his relationship with Epstein and others in Epstein’s orbit.

Earlier this year, the committee also moved to hold former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt for initially refusing to testify about Epstein. The Clintons ultimately testified before the House. The full House had not yet signaled whether it would take up the contempt measure Tuesday, while Black’s lawsuit to block the subpoenas remains pending.