Leon Black fails to appear for US House deposition about Epstein ties

The billionaire financier Leon Black did not appear on Thursday in front of the House oversight committee for a scheduled deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and has instead launched a lawsuit against the committee arguing that it does not have the authority to compel him to turn over non-disclosure agreements.Black was a top Epstein client over several years, and the committee is investigating the men’s relationship as well as the existence of any NDAs to which Black is a party.Black’s name has come up repeatedly in the Epstein files. He has repeatedlydenied any wrongdoing and has said that heregrets dealing with Epstein.Black’s lawyers said in a statement on Thursday morning announcing the lawsuit: “The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility. This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr Black. We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power.” The lawsuit, filed in the US district court for the District of Columbia, seeks to stop the committee from enforcing its subpoenas.In the statement, they added: “We want to reiterate that Mr Black had no awareness of the criminal activities that led to Epstein’s arrest in 2019.“Mr Black never abused a woman,” they said. “He never was with an underage woman. He never engaged in sex trafficking. He never paid Epstein for access to women. He was never blackmailed by Epstein.”In a statement on Thursday, Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, called for Black to be held in contempt after his refusal to appear.“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two congressional subpoenas,” said Garcia.“His connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable,” Garcia added. “We must hold him in contempt immediately.”The new development on Thursday, comes as Black first appeared before the committee in June for a transcribed interview, but the testimony ended abruptly after members from both parties said that Black refused to answer questions about NDAs. That day, James Comer, the Republican who chairs the committee, issued two subpoenas to Black, one demanding he produce “all non-disclosure agreements to which he is a party”, and another to appear before the committee again.In August, in a letter to Black’s attorney, Comer threatened to hold Black in contempt if he refused to comply with the committee’s subpoenas or refused to appear for his deposition, which had been scheduled for 3 September.On Thursday morning, Comercriticized Black in a statement, though stopped short of signaling a contempt vote.“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people,” Comer said. “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.”Earlier this week, ahead of Black’s scheduled deposition, over a dozen survivors of Epstein’s abuse urged Black to comply with congressional subpoenas.“Black’s use of NDAs underscores why Congress must scrutinize the agreements in his possession and determine whether they shed light on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and others in Epstein’s orbit” the survivors wrote.“If Black continues to withhold responsive records or refuses to comply with the committee’s demands, Congress should use every tool available to enforce its subpoenas,” they added.Black’s lawsuit alleges that the two subpoenas issued to him are “invalid to the extent they exceed” the committee’s “delegated authority in seeking private information that bears no legitimate connection to OGR’s legislative purpose”.“Additionally, the subpoenas 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,” the suit says.