The House oversight committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend that billionaire investor Leon Black be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s activities. The committee sought Black’s testimony and nondisclosure agreements connected to Epstein.
More than a dozen survivors of Epstein’s abuse released a statement commending the committee’s action, stating that the vote sends a clear message that wealth and influence do not shield individuals from congressional oversight. Survivors noted they had worked for years to bring information about Epstein’s network into public view and called on Congress to pursue investigative leads from the Epstein files. Black’s name appeared repeatedly in the Epstein files, and according to reporting, he paid Epstein approximately $170 million between 2013 and 2017 for services he described as tax and estate planning. Black has consistently denied any wrongdoing and stated he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.
The dispute between the committee and Black escalated after he appeared for a transcribed interview in June but declined to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. The committee subsequently issued two subpoenas requiring Black to produce all NDAs and appear for a deposition. Black did not appear for his scheduled September 3 deposition and did not produce the requested agreements. Instead, he filed suit arguing the subpoenas exceeded the committee’s authority and would expose individuals seeking privacy. Black’s legal team characterized the panel’s actions as an abuse of power designed to violate private citizens’ legal protections.
On Wednesday, following the contempt vote, committee Chairman James Comer introduced the Survivor’s Voice Protection Act, legislation designed to allow survivors to speak about sexual abuse despite having signed nondisclosure agreements. The bill would also establish reporting obligations for suspected grooming behavior. Comer stated the federal government had failed Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s survivors and said the committee learned how powerful individuals weaponized nondisclosure agreements to silence abuse victims. The committee has conducted 19 depositions and transcribed interviews and released approximately 65,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate and other sources as part of its review.
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