WASHINGTON — The US Home of Representatives voted to carry Leon Black in contempt of Congress on Wednesday after the ex-hedge fund supervisor and affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein ignored subpoenas for additional testimony and data.
The Home handed the contempt decision by unanimous consent after it had superior out of the Oversight Committee in a bipartisan vote on Tuesday.
“Nobody is above the regulation. Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. Home of Representatives acted swiftly to seek out him in contempt of Congress,” stated Home Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
“We’ll proceed to hunt transparency for the American individuals and justice for survivors in our investigation of the federal authorities’s dealing with of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell felony instances.”
Black’s attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler responded in a press release that the vote was “an outrageous motion that ignores the details and the reality about Mr. Black.”
“To be clear, our lawsuit reveals the Committee and Chairman Comer’s abused their Congressional energy and broke the regulation. We consider that our confidential ethics criticism will additional present that Chairman Comer violated the foundations of the Home,” they stated.
“Mr. Black has cooperated with the Committee by voluntarily showing to reply questions in a transcribed interview. Regardless of being misled concerning the intent of that interview, he then absolutely complied with the Committee’s subpoena associated to Epstein, in line with the said legislative function of the Committee’s investigation, as described by Chairman Comer,” the attorneys added.
“Mr. Black supplied the Committee with the one confidentiality settlement that Jeffrey Epstein knew about as a part of Mr. Black’s cooperation with the Committee’s efforts to ferret out the reality about Epstein. He additionally testified to this truth. We additionally instructed them that Ghislaine Maxwell had completely nothing to do with any of the agreements,” they continued.
“The Committee has continued to insist on in search of data that doesn’t exist. They need to ask questions on each NDA Mr. Black ever signed together with with enterprise companions over his 50 12 months profession and in addition with people who he by no means met. That is absurd. They even requested him to offer the names of people in his social circle who’ve NDA’s,” the attorneys additionally stated.
“We intend to pursue our litigation difficult this motion and can maintain the Committee and Chairman Comer accountable within the courts.”
Black, 75, had ignored subpoenas earlier this 12 months from the committee demanding additional testimony topic to video recording and non-disclosure agreements he signed with ladies linked to Epstein.
Earlier this month, the ex-Apollo World Administration CEO had sued the Oversight Committee in response to their makes an attempt to compel his testimony at a deposition on Sept. 3.
An Apollo evaluate in 2021 decided that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for tax recommendation, property planning and different cash administration.
That was years after Epstein had already served time in a state facility for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
A Division of Justice spokesperson famous that it had but to obtain the Black referral for contempt of Congress, however anticipated to acquire it quickly and took the allegations “significantly.”
“For the previous 18 months, the Division has repeatedly stated it’ll comply with extra investigative leads in all issues regarding Jeffrey Epstein,” the rep added. “The US Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Columbia will evaluate the referral of Mr. Black fastidiously and won’t hesitate to pursue extra instances the place the proof helps.”
