House Holds Billionaire Leon Black in Contempt of Congress

The U.S. House of Representatives voted by unanimous consent on Wednesday to hold Leon Black in criminal contempt of Congress. The action follows a unanimous 41-0 recommendation from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after Black, the co-founder and former CEO of Apollo Global Management, refused to comply with subpoenas for a sworn deposition and the production of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) related to an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Black previously appeared voluntarily in June but reportedly walked out during the interview and declined questions about NDAs. He later failed to appear for a rescheduled deposition on September 3. While an Apollo-commissioned review found Black paid Epstein $158 million for professional services between 2012 and 2017, House investigators cite a higher figure of $180 million. Black has sued the committee, arguing the subpoenas exceed legislative authority and maintaining he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes.

Following the vote, the House referred the matter to the United States Department of Justice for review. If convicted of the misdemeanor, Black could face up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. In tandem with the proceedings, Chairman James Comer introduced the Survivor’s Voice Protection Act, a bill designed to prevent NDAs from being used to silence survivors of sexual abuse.