Billionaire investor Leon Black sues and declines to testify in House committee’s Epstein investigation

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Billionaire investor Leon Black is suing the House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein to try and block the panel from obtaining his non-disclosure agreements and testimony.

Black’s refusal to turn over the documents and appear for his deposition in front of the House Oversight Committee on Thursday marks a major escalation in the behind-the-scenes back and forth that has been brewing between the two sides for months.

In a letter to the committee obtained by CNN, Black’s attorneys argued that the non-disclosure agreements the panel was seeking were too broad, had no connection to Epstein and disregarded the privacy interests of third parties.

“Congress is not entitled to subpoena documents from a private citizen on the inchoate hope that something useful might show up,” his attorneys wrote.

As a result of the impasse, Black’s team made clear that the billionaire would not be appearing for his scheduled deposition and would be pursuing legal action.

“At this juncture, the parties have an irreconcilable disagreement regarding the scope of any further testimony and production,” they wrote. “The Committee has left Mr. Black with no choice but to avail himself of a legal remedy.”

“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a statement. “Our deposition is moving forward this morning for the record and there will be an empty chair for Mr. Black. I will speak with our members about next steps.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight panel, said in a statement that Black should be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to appear for his deposition and comply with Congress’ subpoenas.

“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two Congressional subpoenas. Black gave Jeffrey Epstein over $180 million over six years. He funded Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of women. Multiple women have also accused Black of sexual assault. His connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable. We must hold him in contempt immediately,” Garcia said.

Black initially appeared for a voluntary interview in June but that ended abruptly when Comer issued two subpoenas after Black refused to answer a series of questions.

Black is one of many influential and wealthy individuals whose past relationships with Epstein have come under further scrutiny since the Justice Department’s release of millions of Epstein files.

In his voluntary closed-door June interview, Black told members of Congress that he did not know the extent of Epstein’s crimes – and that he himself never abused women or had sexual relations with minors, according to a copy of his opening remarks shared by his legal team.

J. Scott Applewhite/美联社

亿万富翁投资者莱昂·布莱克起诉众议院调查杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的委员会，试图阻止该委员会获得他的保密协议和证词。

布莱克拒绝交出文件，也拒绝于周四到众议院监督委员会作证，这标志着双方数月来在幕后进行的拉锯战出现了重大升级。

CNN获得的一封致委员会的信中，布莱克的律师辩称，该委员会寻求的保密协议范围过广，与爱泼斯坦无关，并且无视了第三方的隐私利益。

他的律师写道：“国会无权仅凭着渺茫的希望，就向私人公民发出传票，希望从中找到有用的信息。”

由于双方陷入僵局，布莱克的团队明确表示，这位亿万富翁不会出席原定的取证会，并将采取法律行动。

他们写道：“目前，双方在进一步作证和提交证据的范围上存在不可调和的分歧。委员会已迫使布莱克先生别无选择，只能诉诸法律途径。”

“莱昂·布莱克躲在诉讼背后，而不是向美国人民提供答案，这令人感到遗憾，”众议院监督委员会主席詹姆斯·科默在一份声明中表示。“今天上午，我们的取证程序将如期进行，并会记录在案，届时布莱克先生将缺席。我将与委员会成员商讨下一步行动。”

众议院监督委员会首席民主党议员罗伯特·加西亚在一份声明中表示，布莱克拒绝出席作证并遵守国会的传票，应该被控藐视国会。

“莱昂·布莱克今天拒绝作证，公然藐视国会的两份传票。六年间，布莱克向杰弗里·爱泼斯坦提供了超过1.8亿美元的资金。他资助了爱泼斯坦对妇女的虐待和贩卖。多名女性也指控布莱克性侵。他与爱泼斯坦的关系以及他拒绝合作的行为令人无法接受。我们必须立即以藐视法庭罪对其提起诉讼，”加西亚说道。

布莱克最初于 6 月份自愿接受采访，但由于布莱克拒绝回答一系列问题，科默发出了两份传票，采访随即结束。

自司法部公布数百万份爱泼斯坦档案以来，布莱克是众多与爱泼斯坦有着密切联系的富豪之一，他们过去的交往受到了进一步的审查。

据他的法律团队分享的一份开场白副本显示，布莱克在 6 月份自愿接受国会议员的闭门采访时表示，他不知道爱泼斯坦犯罪的程度，而且他本人从未虐待过妇女或与未成年人发生性关系。