US House holds Leon Black in contempt over Epstein subpoenas

The US House of Representatives has held billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he defied subpoenas linked to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The resolution was adopted by unanimous consent on Wednesday, without a recorded vote, after the House Oversight Committee had unanimously recommended the action a day earlier. The matter will now be referred to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

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Committee chairman Jamie Comer said in a statement that "no one is above the law" and said lawmakers had acted swiftly after Black defied two subpoenas. According to the committee, Black failed to appear for a September 3 deposition and did not fully comply with a separate subpoena seeking nondisclosure agreements. His lawyers have described the House action as "outrageous" and said they would continue a court challenge to the subpoenas.

Black, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management, had previously appeared voluntarily before the committee in June. During that session, he acknowledged paying Epstein $158 million for tax and estate-planning advice, but the hearing ended early after he declined to answer questions about some nondisclosure agreements. Lawmakers then sought further testimony and documents as part of their wider scrutiny of the federal government's handling of the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.

The contempt vote adds to a long-running political and legal effort in Washington to examine how Epstein was able to maintain relationships with prominent figures while facing allegations of sex trafficking. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges involving minors, and authorities ruled his death a suicide. The case has continued to generate congressional interest because of the unanswered questions around his network, his finances and the handling of related investigations.

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The House action also places renewed attention on the role of the Justice Department, which must now decide whether to bring criminal charges over the subpoena defiance. That decision could shape how aggressively Congress can enforce its investigative powers in a politically sensitive case involving a well-known financier. It also keeps the focus on the documents and testimony lawmakers say they still need to assess the government's response to Epstein and Maxwell.

What remains unclear is whether prosecutors will act on the referral and how Black's court challenge to the subpoenas will proceed. It is also not yet clear whether the House will seek additional enforcement steps if the Justice Department declines to pursue the case. For now, the contempt finding marks a new stage in Congress's effort to compel cooperation in one of the most closely watched accountability inquiries in Washington.

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