Why It Matters

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee scheduled a full-committee markup to consider a resolution recommending that the House find Leon David Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with committee subpoenas. Black, a billionaire investor and former Apollo Global Management chief executive, has refused to comply with committee subpoenas seeking documents and testimony related to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The contempt recommendation marks an escalation in a dispute over the committee's effort to obtain nondisclosure agreements and additional testimony from Black. The committee says its broader investigation is examining how the federal government handled the crimes of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and how Epstein cultivated relationships with influential individuals. The panel has interviewed numerous people connected to the inquiry and released transcripts from those interviews.

The Big Picture

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is scheduled to hold a full-committee markup on September 15 to consider a resolution and accompanying report recommending that the House find Black in contempt of Congress. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) chairs the committee, with Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) serving as ranking member.

Black did not appear for his scheduled sworn deposition on September 3. The committee proceeded with the deposition for the record with an empty chair reserved for him. According to NBC News, Garcia said Black's refusal to testify amounted to defiance of two congressional subpoenas. According to NPR, Garcia called for Black to be held in contempt of Congress.

Comer issued the two subpoenas during Black's voluntary transcribed interview on June 26. One compelled Black to produce nondisclosure agreements, while the other required him to appear for a deposition initially scheduled for July 16. The committee later accommodated Black's request to move the deposition to September 3.

Black's June proceeding ended abruptly after members questioned him about nondisclosure agreements. The committee subsequently released the transcript of that interview.

mittee proceeded with the deposition for the record with an empty chair reserved for him. Context

Broader Context

The committee subsequently released the transcript of that interview. The committee later accommodated Black's request to move the deposition to September 3. One compelled Black to produce nondisclosure agreements, while the other required him to appear for a deposition initially scheduled for July 16. Comer issued the two subpoenas during Black's voluntary transcribed interview on June 26.

Black filed a federal lawsuit against the committee and Comer seeking to block enforcement of the subpoenas. His suit argues that the subpoenas are invalid to the extent they seek private information without a legitimate connection to the committee's delegated legislative purpose.

Black's attorneys argued that producing the nondisclosure agreements could expose women who sought privacy and had no known public connection to Epstein. His attorneys have characterized the committee's demands as overbroad and beyond its legitimate investigative authority.

Comer has argued that Black's testimony and nondisclosure agreements are relevant because Black had an extensive personal and financial relationship with Epstein. The committee says Black has withheld requested NDAs and has not complied fully with its document subpoena.

Black has denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. An independent review commissioned by Apollo's board found no evidence that Black was involved in Epstein's criminal activities. The review found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 through 2017 for tax, estate-planning and related advisory services.

The committee's inquiry into Black is part of a broader investigation into Epstein's associates and the government's handling of the Epstein and Maxwell cases. The committee has already conducted and released interviews with Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also sat for depositions earlier this year after the committee initially advanced contempt resolutions against them.

The Bottom Line

The Sept. 15 markup will determine whether the Oversight Committee recommends that the full House hold Black in contempt of Congress for failing to appear for his deposition and withholding subpoenaed materials. The dispute also tests the committee's effort to enforce subpoenas for private records it says are relevant to its broader investigation of Epstein and the federal government's handling of his crimes.

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