By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-04 12:07:01 | Updated at 2026-09-04 12:48:58
48 minutes ago
Former CEO of Apollo Global Management, Leon Black (R), arrives for an interview with the House Oversight Committee in Washington on June 26, 2026. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Billionaire Leon Black on Sept. 3 declined to appear under subpoena to answer questions from the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He also sued the panel, alleging that the subpoenas it issued lacked validity.
Black, 75, who co-founded Apollo Global Management, appeared for a voluntary interview with the panel earlier in the year to talk about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender. Lawmakers subpoenaed him afterward because they said he refused to answer certain questions and wanted him to produce nondisclosure agreements.
The subpoenas required Black to hand over documents and testify on Thursday.
The suit asks the federal court in the District of Columbia to declare the subpoenas invalid. It says the subpoenas exceed the committee’s authority because they seek “private information that bears no legitimate connection to [the committee’s] legislative purpose.”
The subpoenas would also expose private information of women who do not have any known or public connection to Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida, and faced federal sex trafficking charges when he died in prison in 2019, according to the complaint.
“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black,” Susan Estrich, attorney for Black, said in a statement to news outlets. “We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power.”
Members Want Contempt Vote
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House panel, said in a statement that the panel’s investigation is seeking answers as to how the government for years failed to properly investigate and prosecute crimes committed by Epstein and an associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been convicted of sex trafficking and is serving a prison sentence, as well as how Epstein worked to gain favor with influential people to avoid scrutiny.
“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people,” Comer said. “Mr. Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation as he was one of Mr. Epstein’s fee-paying clients and has several nondisclosure agreements.”
Comer said he would speak to members of the panel about what steps they would take in response to Black’s absence.
Multiple Democrats on the panel said they want to vote to hold Black in contempt, which could lead to criminal charges against the businessman.
“We’ve had enough with the games. Oversight Democrats are demanding he be held in contempt,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) said in a post on X. “The survivors deserve answers—and we won’t stop until we get them.”
