A bipartisan House panel has unanimously moved to hold Leon Black, the Apollo Global Management co-founder and longtime associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in contempt of Congress. Black is mentioned more than 300 times in the Epstein Files and paid Epstein more than $150 million for services he described as tax and estate planning, with total payments exceeding $180 million. Democrats on the committee have alleged the funds were “used to traffic women and children.” However, appearing in the Epstein files does not itself establish wrongdoing, and Black has not been charged in connection with any of Epstein’s alleged crimes.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said Black had repeatedly declined to comply with the panel’s requests. “We’ve tried every way in the world to get him in…and he refused to show,” Comer told reporters Tuesday morning outside the Capitol Hill Club. “We’re going to treat him just like we’ve treated everyone else that defied a lawful congressional subpoena,” he added before the vote. Black previously took part in a voluntary spring interview but declined to discuss nondisclosure agreements connected to Epstein.
Committee standoff heads toward contempt referral
Black later failed to appear for a July 16 deposition and again for a rescheduled September 3 session. He instead filed suit against the House Oversight Committee, claiming lawmakers had exceeded their legal authority. Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s ranking Democrat, told MSNOW that Attorney General Todd Blanche should “do his job and get a criminal conviction out of Leon Black.”
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Should the full House approve the contempt resolution, the case would be sent to the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC. That office is headed by Judge Jeanine Pirro, a Trump ally and former Fox News personality. Although Blanche does not formally oversee congressional contempt referrals, federal prosecutors may coordinate with Justice Department leadership — including the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General’s offices — on certain prosecutorial decisions.
Clintons sit for Epstein depositions
Blanche, who served as Deputy Attorney General, downplayed the likelihood of new Epstein-related criminal cases during a CNN interview in February. The Leon Black contempt push follows a separate Oversight Committee effort involving Bill and Hillary Clinton. In January, committee Republicans advanced resolutions recommending contempt charges after the Clintons missed three scheduled depositions concerning their Epstein ties. Nine Democrats voted against the measure involving the former president, while only three opposed the resolution concerning Hillary Clinton. The couple later agreed to Comer’s request and gave transcribed, filmed depositions in late February. Neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been charged with any crime. The Daily Mail contacted Black’s attorney for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
