Epstein client Leon Black threatened with contempt by House panel chair if he continues non-compliance with subcommittee subpoenas or fails to show for next hearing in September
8 hours ago by ChunkMcHorkle to c/Epsteinfiles
The Republican chairman of the House oversight committee has threatened to hold the private equity investor Leon Black in contempt if he does not fully cooperate with the panel’s ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, amid accusations that the billionaire is purposely delaying and disrupting the panel’s inquiry.
A letter released by Representative James Comer’s office on Tuesday, which was addressed to Black’s lawyer, revealed new details about the high-stakes clash between the powerful Kentucky congressman and Black, the co-founder of Apollo Asset Management who was Epstein’s friend and former client and paid Epstein tens of millions of dollars in fees.
“If Mr Black refuses to provide the Committee with responsive documents or refuses to appear for his scheduled deposition on September 3, 2026, the Committee will use all tools at its disposal, including contempt,” Comer said.
Susan Estrich, Black’s lawyer, rejected Comer’s assertions in a statement released on Tuesday night, saying the letter was misrepresenting the facts, and that Black was being targeted in a “political witch hunt”.
Black voluntarily agreed to be questioned by the House panel in June as part of the committee’s broad investigation into Epstein, which the panel has said includes an examination of the alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation into the late sexual predator; the operation of sex-trafficking rings; and the ways in which Epstein and his companion Ghislaine Maxwell “sought to curry favor” to protect their “illegal activities”.
But Black’s appearance ended abruptly – after just one hour of questioning – after members of both parties said Black was refusing to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Comer, in his capacity as committee chairman, issued two subpoenas on that day in response to Black’s alleged lack of cooperation: one demanding that Black produce “all non-disclosure agreements to which he is a party” and another demanding he appear before the committee for a deposition.
For those who remain understandably unimpressed by what they derisively call “strongly-worded letters,” this one is actually a demonstration of rare political will
No political will here: the reason that nauseating Republican Comer is going after Leon Black is to distract from the real orange pedo he should be going after.
Leon Black serves as chaff for Trump.
It's possible. Or Comer could be happily throwing empty words around them both, just as he has been doing all along. In bringing attention to Black he intensifies the attention drawn to the issue as a whole, and that triples if the committee actually acts on the threat.
What changed?
trump isnt the ultimate string puller (outside whatever pointless personal vendetta worms it's way into what passes as his brain now), he has to be lead around closely by handlers anytime they know cameras will be on for fucks sake.
It's really telling who they approach with gas&flash vs who they approach asking nicely.
This wpsteinist just needs to die and die ugly.
@lemmy.world
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@lemmy.world
We keep track of the release of the files, but also to explore what’s already available, and why – with enough exposure – this could bring the man down, and who knows even his regime or the empire.
Want to start digging yourself? Check out our sticky post
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Again, this is the link to the letter to Black from James Comer, a hard-core Republican who chairs the subcommitte on Epstein and who, IMO, has done more to protect Epstein's friends than to expose them. It's refreshingly damning, and worth a skim.
This is a big deal, and not one I expected to see: Leon Black is very well-protected, absolutely a long-term inner-circle participant in all of Epstein's activities, credibly accused of multiple violent rapes and to top it all off, interference on Black's behalf in lawsuits against him brought by his victims.
To refresh your memory, Black was brought before the House subcommittee on Epstein in July 2026 but walked out after refusing to answer questions regarding NDAs he may have signed in regard to his involvement with Epstein, no doubt because he thinks those NDAs are protecting him.
The above-mentioned letter, as well as the subpoenas the committee issued the day Black walked out, signal the committee's willingness to go after him with what seems like renewed vigor, when in the past Black might have just seen the matter dropped, which is almost certainly what Black hoped to accomplish by walking out of that hearing in July.
Here's an excellent article on the worst of Leon Black and his interactions with Epstein, but for as long as it is, be aware that it only focuses on the victims that sued. There are even more victims in the files, especially in the witness depositions of the various lawsuits, who have not sued, possibly because they saw what Epstein and Black did to the lives of their victims who did try to obtain justice via the legal system.
Black was also featured heavily in Ron Wyden's Senate report last month following Epstein's money, which makes clear that Black directly financed much of the trafficking Epstein was committing, especially after his conviction.
But for whatever reason, Black has lost his political protection, and those who are supposed to be covering up his secrets and his culpability -- not just his activities in Epstein's direct orbit but in corrupt legal practices -- no longer are. That's the interesting part. Unusually, Leon Black has been subpoenaed for non-compliance AND the committee chair is following up on that non-compliance, and that is a rare event for the Republican-led House subcommittee following Epstein's crimes, one usually saved for overt Republican political enemies like the Clintons.
For those who remain understandably unimpressed by what they derisively call "strongly-worded letters," this one is actually a demonstration of rare political will: words are the means by which the rich wage war against each other, as well as the tools of Congress itself, and "strongly-worded letters" are what eventually end people in jail. And this particular letter is telling one of the richest and most powerful men in the country that he has lost his protection. So keep your eyes on this story: there is absolutely more to come.
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