House votes to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress over Epstein subpoenas defiance
House votes to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress over Epstein subpoenas defiance. Skip NavigationMarketsBusinessInvestingTechPolitics & PolicyVideoWatchlistInvesting ClubPROLivestreamMenuKey PointsThe House of Representatives voted to hold former Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black in contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with subpoenas issued by a committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
What happened
Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesThe House of Representatives voted Wednesday to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with subpoenas issued to him related to a committee's ongoing investigation of the notorious late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Image source, Getty ImagesByMadeline HalpertPublished16 September 2026, 20:19 BSTUpdated 2 hours agoThe US House of Representatives has agreed to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying a legal summons related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Billionaire Leon Black is suing the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform seeking to block subpoenas it issued him in its probe of Jeffrey Epstein. "Black's attorneys blasted the House for its contempt holding, calling it "an outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Related topicsUS CongressUnited StatesJeffrey EpsteinMore on this storyUS billionaire Leon Black defies summons and sues Epstein panelPublished3 SeptemberBillionaire Leon Black walks out of Epstein investigation hearing Published27 JuneWhy the rich and powerful couldn't say no to EpsteinPublished29 November 2025
"In this articleAPOFollow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTFormer CEO of Apollo Global Management Leon Black arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House oversight committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 26, 2026. It came a day after the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in a 41-0 vote, passed a resolution recommending the full House hold the former Apollo Global Management CEO in contempt.
The wider picture
A DOJ spokesperson, in a statement to MS NOW, said, "The Department of Justice is expecting to receive the referral from [the] House Oversight Committee and takes allegations of contempt of Congress seriously. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress," Comer said. Now, the full House is holding him in contempt without any regard to the active litigation challenging the lawfulness of the Committee's actions and the ethics complaint against Chairman [James] Comer.
Black, who had business ties to Epstein, did not comply with a subpoena ordering him to appear before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month and share documents related to Epstein. After passage of the measure holding Black in contempt, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said: "No-one is above the law. The vote sets the stage for House Speaker Mike Johnson to certify the matter and refer Black's conduct to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.
The action stems from Black's failure to appear for a deposition by the House oversight committee on Sept. Black's attorneys called the House's action "outrageous," saying it "ignores the facts and the truth about Mr.
What has been reported
Defendants convicted of contempt of Congress face a possible sentence of not less than one month and not more than 12 months in prison. Black gave the committee one of the NDAs, which his lawyers said was the "only" one that Epstein knew about, but withheld others. "Then, the Committee rushed to hold him in contempt, even in the face of active litigation and an ethics complaint. "To think, he is being held in contempt over invalid subpoenas is ridiculous.
The civil complaint says the subpoenas issued by the panel "would also expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it, and who have no ability to protect themselves and their privacy before the Committee. "In their statement Wednesday, Black's lawyers said: "Our lawsuit shows the Committee and Chairman Comer abused their Congressional power and broke the law. Massie seeks Hegseth’s impeachment over IranTrump calls Supreme Court mail ballot ruling ‘big loss for Republicans’Black has not been charged with any wrongdoing in connection with his dealings with Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 after being charged with child sex trafficking.
But he stepped down as Apollo's CEO in March 2021, two months after the firm disclosed that Black had paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning advice from 2012 through 2017.
What happens next
Black, who has said Epstein's advice led to significant savings for him, knew at the time that Epstein had pleaded guilty in Florida state court in 2008 to two prostitution-related charges, among them soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Black has repeatedly said that he feels terrible for Epstein's victims and that he regrets ever doing business with Epstein," Black's lawyers said Wednesday. Black had no knowledge of any of Epstein's heinous conduct. Lawyers for Black, who has sued over the summons, called the contempt move "outrageous".
"In a statement shared with US media, lawyers for Black called the House move an "outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr Black". In a written statement, the committee's top Democrat, congressman Robert Garcia, called the contempt vote "an important step towards justice and accountability". Black left Apollo Global Management, which he co-founded, amid scrutiny in 2021 over his Epstein ties.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across cnbc.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.