House votes to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress in Epstein probe
The House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying two subpoenas issued in the House Oversight Committee's probe of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The resolution came a day after the Oversight Committee voted 41-0 to hold Black in contempt, teeing up the House vote.
Black bucked a committee subpoena calling on him to testify under oath at a closed-door deposition on Sept. 3, as well as turn over nondisclosure agreements that the committee is seeking under subpoena, as part of the panel's ongoing probe into the government's handling of the investigations into Epstein.
Black, who maintained a social relationship with Epstein since the mid-1990s and eventually paid him more than $170 million for "tax and estate planning advice," according to the Senate Finance Committee, appeared voluntarily before the Oversight panel in June -- before prematurely leaving the closed-door interview.
Black has denied wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes, though his financial payments to the convicted sex offender served as a lifeline in the years following Epstein's 2008 prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Moments before the House unanimously approved the measure, Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight panel, told reporters that the move to hold Black in contempt is "a very important step" in the committee's Epstein probe.
"This is an important step towards justice, but there is just an enormous amount of work to be done," Garcia said. "Our investigation is just getting started. There is a massive cover-up that's happened at the White House from Day 1, and we need to have more actions like the one that's going to happen today. So this is a really important day for us."
Black's attorneys called the move "outrageous" and said they will fight the resolution.
"The Committee has continued to insist on looking for information that does not exist," said attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler. "They are looking to ask questions about every NDA Mr. Black ever signed, including with business partners over his 50 year career and also with individuals who he never met. This is absurd."
"Mr. Black has repeatedly said that he feels terrible for Epstein's victims and that he regrets ever doing business with Epstein," Black's lawyers said. "He never abused a woman. He never was with an underage woman. He never engaged in sex trafficking. He never paid Epstein for access to women. He was never blackmailed by Epstein. Mr. Black had no knowledge of any of Epstein's heinous conduct."
The contempt resolution must now be certified by House Speaker Mike Johnson before it is sent to Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro could then bring the matter to a federal grand jury, which would have the power to hand up a criminal indictment that could ultimately culminate in fines and even imprisonment.
A Department of Justice spokesperson, following Wednesday's House vote, said that Pirro "will not hesitate to pursue additional cases where the evidence supports."
"The Department of Justice is expecting to receive the referral from House Oversight Committee and takes allegations of contempt of Congress seriously," the spokesperson said in a statement. "For the past 18 months, the Department has repeatedly said it will follow additional investigative leads in all matters relating to Jeffrey Epstein."
If acted upon, the criminal referral would mark what could be one of the only remaining prosecutions related to Epstein. After the release of the DOJ's Epstein files last year, then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche suggested there were no active investigations related to Epstein's associates, though he kept the door open for future cases.
"If we learn today, if we learn next week, if we learn next month that there's an individual that we can investigate, indict and prosecute out of the Epstein files, you better believe it, we will," Blanche said during his confirmation hearing in July.
