NewzBlack refused to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress on Thursday and instead sued the House Oversight Committee, asking a federal court to block subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Private equity investor Leon Black filed a lawsuit Thursday to stave off subpoenas demanding he testify and hand over documents as part of a congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Black was slated to appear the same day for a deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about his ties to...
Billionaire financier, who previously walked out of a deposition, instead launches lawsuit against the committeeBillionaire financier Leon Black did not appear Thursday in front of the House oversight committee for a scheduled deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and has instead launched a lawsuit against the committee arguing that it does not have the authority to compel him to turn over non-disclosure agreements.Black was a top Epstein client over several years, and the committee is investigating the men’s relationship as well as the existence of any NDAs that Epstein may have helped Black craft. Black, whose name has come up repeatedly in the Epstein files, has denied wrongdoing. Black also said that he regrets dealing with Epstein.
Billionaire investor Leon Black is refusing to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress relating to its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The co-founder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, he stepped down in 2021 during the fallout over his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a closed-door voluntary interview in June after lawmakers said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Billionaire investor Leon Black refused to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress on Thursday and instead sued the House Oversight Committee, asking a federal court to block subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into disgraced… One subpoena demanded Black produce NDAs and other documents, while the other compelled him to return for a deposition before the committee.Black’s lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee’s authority by seeking private information unrelated to Epstein or any legitimate legislative purpose. It asks a federal judge to declare the subpoenas invalid and prevent the committee from enforcing them.“The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility," Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement.
“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said Congress “must hold him in contempt immediately.”“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two congressional subpoenas,” Garcia said.Black is the co-founder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. He stepped down in 2021 during the fallout over his ties to Epstein.He is among a number of influential figures to appear in the investigation into Epstein and the web of wealth and influence around him.
Other figures to have appeared for the investigation include former Democratic President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.Black is mentioned repeatedly in files that the Justice Department has released related to the Epstein investigation. He also appears in a collection of birthday messages sent to Epstein that were released by the House committee last year, including a poem attributed to Black that refers to “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically.”Before the June 26 appearance before the committee, Black maintained that he was not aware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part due to hi… Black’s lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee’s authority by seeking private information unrelated to Epstein or any legitimate legislative purpose.
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