House Panel Votes Unanimously to Recommend Contempt for Leon Black
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 41-0 on Tuesday to recommend that the full House hold former Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black in contempt of Congress. The unanimous vote follows Black’s refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas tied to the panel’s ongoing investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
Subpoenas carry the force of law, and Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., made that reality clear during Tuesday’s committee session. “Subpoenas are not suggestions; they carry the force of law and require full compliance,” Comer stated, adding that the panel had “no choice but to hold him in contempt.”
The Standoff Over Nondisclosure Agreements and Depositions
The contempt resolution stems from Black’s refusal nearly two weeks prior to give further testimony to the committee and hand over multiple nondisclosure agreements to which the billionaire was a party.
In response to the escalating pressure from Capitol Hill, Black pushed back through the federal courts. On Sept. 3, Black filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeking to block enforcement of the committee’s subpoenas, according to reporting by CNBC.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the panel’s ranking Democrat, sharply criticized Black’s legal resistance during the markup. “Unfortunately, billionaires like Leon Black believe that they are above the law,” Garcia said, emphasizing that the investigation aims to secure justice and accountability for Epstein’s survivors.
Defense Attorneys Cry Foul and File Counter-Complaints
Black’s legal team, consisting of attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, blasted the committee’s actions ahead of the vote. In a scathing public statement, the lawyers called the markup and contempt resolution “a complete abomination” and an abuse of congressional power.
“This is retaliation — plain and simple,” Black’s attorneys said in their statement. “We have the constitutional right to sue Chairman Comer and the Committee because the subpoenas issued were illegitimate, illegal and a textbook abuse of power designed to bully and destroy legal protections of private citizens.”
The defense did not stop at public criticism. In a letter sent to Comer and Garcia on Tuesday, Black’s legal team announced they were submitting a formal complaint to the Office of Congressional Conduct. The complaint alleges that Chairman Comer engaged in conduct violating House rules prior to Black’s scheduled Sept. 3 deposition, though the filing did not detail the specifics of that alleged misconduct.
Weighing the Financial Ties to Epstein
The scrutiny on Black traces back to corporate disclosures made years ago. Black stepped down as the CEO of Apollo Global Management in March 2021. That departure came just two months after the firm revealed that Black had paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning advice between 2012 and 2017.
Those transactions occurred even though Epstein had already pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Despite the financial ties, Black has not been charged with wrongdoing in connection with his dealings with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York City federal jail in August 2019 after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges.
What steps will the full House take next, and will federal courts intervene in the subpoena battle? Share your thoughts below.
