Before lawmakers left Washington on Wednesday night, they took another step in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation — and this one was unanimous.
The House voted unanimously to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he defied subpoenas to testify and turn over documents.
The vote came one day after the House Oversight Committee voted 41-0 to recommend contempt.
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Black’s ties to Epstein
Black had a years-long business relationship with Epstein and paid him $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for financial services. He voluntarily sat down with the House Oversight Committee in June but abruptly left after refusing to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.
The committee then subpoenaed him to return for a deposition and produce the NDAs. He didn’t.
Instead, Black sued the committee, arguing the subpoenas exceeded its authority and sought private information unrelated to the Epstein investigation.
When Black failed to appear for his Sept. 3 deposition, Oversight Chair James Comer said getting him back before the committee was the priority.
“This is the first time, of all the people we’ve brought in, of all the powerful billionaires and political people we brought in for interviews and depositions, this is the first time anyone’s filed suit,” Comer said at the time. “The most important priority is to get Mr. Black in to answer questions.”
Contempt referral moves to DOJ
The House has now referred the matter to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to prosecute Black for contempt of Congress.
Black has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said he did not know about Epstein’s crimes during their business relationship. His attorneys called the House vote “outrageous” and accused lawmakers of seeking information that does not exist.
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