<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The House of Representatives approved a motion on September 16, 2026, to hold business magnate Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he declined to comply with subpoenas related to Jeffrey Epstein issued by the House oversight committee.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Leon Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, had paid Epstein to act as his wealth adviser for several years. His connections to Epstein have come under scrutiny following renewed discussions about Epstein's life. Black was deposed by the House oversight committee earlier in September, where he was expected to testify about Epstein and provide several nondisclosure agreements. However, he filed a lawsuit challenging the subpoenas, claiming they lacked a legitimate connection to the committee's purpose.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On September 15, the House oversight committee unanimously agreed to hold Black in contempt. The House then approved Chairman James Comer’s (R-KY) motion to advance the measure, which will be sent to the Department of Justice to determine whether to pursue criminal charges against Black.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chairman Comer stated, “No one is above the law. Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress. We will continue to seek transparency for the American people and justice for survivors in our investigation of the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Black faces allegations in court of raping two women, including a minor, at Epstein’s New York residence in 2002, which he denies. In his lawsuit, he argued that complying with the oversight committee's request for NDAs would expose women who value their privacy and have no known connection to Epstein.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Prior to his refusal to comply with the committee’s summons, Black voluntarily gave an interview to the panel in June. He stated that he paid Epstein a total of $158 million over several years for wealth management and tax planning services. Black claimed that Epstein saved him billions but also manipulated him out of millions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Black remarked, “Epstein also told me that the fees I was paying him were tax-deductible 60-cent dollars, which I only learned years later was not true, i.e., what I believed to be $95 million of net fees paid to him over five years was actually $158 million.” He added that he now recognizes Epstein's manipulative behavior extended beyond him to others.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Black asserted that an investigation by the Dechert law firm in 2021 cleared him of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. He stated, “I am the only person in Epstein’s orbit who has been the subject of an independent investigation made at my request wherein the results were made public.” He noted that the investigation involved examining 60,000 documents and interviewing over 20 people, concluding that he had no knowledge of or participation in Epstein's criminal behavior.</p>