The House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress on Wednesday. This action followed a 41-0 vote by the House Oversight Committee a day earlier, teeing up the full House vote. The contempt charge stems from Black's refusal to comply with two subpoenas issued in the committee's ongoing investigation into the government's handling of probes into Jeffrey Epstein. Specifically, Black failed to testify under oath at a closed-door deposition scheduled for September 3 and did not turn over nondisclosure agreements sought by the committee.
Black, co-founder of private equity giant Apollo Global Management, has maintained a social relationship with Epstein since the mid-1990s and reportedly paid him over $158 million for tax and estate planning advice between 2012 and 2017. He stepped down as Apollo CEO in March 2021 after an internal review revealed these payments. Black has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing by law enforcement and denies involvement in or awareness of Epstein's illegal activities, stating he deeply regrets his involvement with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor charge that carries a potential penalty of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Black's attorneys criticized the committee's action as a "complete abomination" and "retaliation," arguing that the subpoenas were "illegitimate, illegal and a textbook abuse of power." They also filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Conduct seeking an investigation into the committee chair's conduct. Despite Black's legal challenges, committee members, including Chairman Rep. James Comer and ranking Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia, emphasized that subpoenas are legally binding and that no one, regardless of wealth, is above the law.
