Oversight Committee Republicans and Democrats Hold Leon Black in Contempt for Defying Lawful Subpoenas

WASHINGTON-Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted on a bipartisan basis to advance a resolution recommending that the U.S. House of Representatives hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with duly issued subpoenas.

In his opening remarks, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) detailed how Leon Black defied subpoenas that required Mr. Black to appear for a deposition and to produce nondisclosure agreements to the Committee as part of its investigation into the federal government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.

Below are Chairman Comer's opening remarks as prepared for delivery:

Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meets to advance a resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Leon D. Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with duly issued subpoenas.

Our investigation is examining how the federal government, for decades, failed survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes and how Mr. Epstein sought to curry favor and exercise influence to avoid scrutiny.

I subpoenaed Leon Black for testimony and documents critical to our investigation, but he has refused to comply.

Leon Black is legally required to appear for a deposition before the Oversight Committee and required to turn over all non-disclosure agreements to which he was a party.

The Committee also asked for all NDAs and confidentiality agreements that Epstein and Maxwell were involved or referenced in.

He defied Congress and refused to do either.

Instead, Mr. Black is hiding behind litigation to delay having to provide answers to the American people.

No one is above the law.

Mr. Black will be treated the same as anyone else in this investigation, and his actions have consequences.

A little over two months ago, Mr. Black appeared before the Committee for a transcribed interview. But only an hour into the interview, he began refusing to answer questions, so we issued two subpoenas to him: one for a deposition and one to produce his confidentiality agreements.

Mr. Black did not appear for his scheduled deposition on September 3, 2026, and only produced one NDA to the Committee, despite his counsel indicating there were many more.

Subpoenas are not suggestions. They carry the force of law and require full compliance.

Mr. Black's testimony is crucial to our investigation because he maintained a close personal relationship with Epstein for years during the time when Epstein was engaged in sex trafficking.

Mr. Black and Epstein also had a significant financial relationship. He funded Epstein's lavish lifestyle for years, enabling Epstein to continue his horrific crimes.

His testimony about Epstein, Maxwell, and their crimes is invaluable.

The Committee wants to ensure that NDAs, or other confidentiality agreements, cannot be used to cover up criminal activities.

We made it clear to Mr. Black and his attorneys that if he did not comply, then the Committee would initiate contempt proceedings.

We have no choice but to hold him in contempt.

I encourage my colleagues to support this measure.

Background: The House Oversight Committee is investigating how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes and how Mr. Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny. Leon Black had an extensive personal and financial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein spanning decades and paid him at least $158 million after Epstein became a registered sex offender.

On March 3, 2026, Chairman Comer sent a letter to Mr. Black seeking a transcribed interview as part of the Committee's review of the federal government's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. During the transcribed interview, Chairman Comer issued two subpoenas to Mr. Black compelling him to produce nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to the Committee and appear for a deposition on July 16, 2026. After the Committee accommodated Mr. Black's request to delay the deposition on September 3, 2026, Mr. Black failed to appear for his scheduled deposition, withheld NDAs from the Committee, and filed a lawsuit against Chairman Comer and the Committee.