A former close associate of Jeffrey Epstein, Leon Black, has filed a lawsuit against the House Oversight Committee after refusing to appear for a sworn deposition.
Black was previously served with two subpoenas after refusing to answer questions relating to nondisclosure agreements.
Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, accused the House Oversight Committee of being “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,” Estrich said. We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power.”
The lawsuit, viewed by Politico, argues that the subpoenas for nondisclosure agreement details overstep the Committee’s “delegated authority in seeking private information that bears no legitimate connection to [the committee’s] legislative purpose.”
“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people. Our investigation is examining how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Mr. Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny,” Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement. “Mr. Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation as he was one of Mr. Epstein’s fee paying clients and has several nondisclosure agreements. 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.”
Comer also told reporters that he “would hold [Black] in contempt right now.”
“Of all the powerful billionaires and political people we brought in for interviews and depositions, this is the first time anyone’s filed suit,” Comer stated. “I don’t want to do anything to harm our chances in court.”
