The House Oversight Committee served subpoenas to billionaire investor Leon Black on Friday after lawmakers say he refused to answer some questions about his years-long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a time in which he paid the disgraced financier at least $158 million.
Background
Black is the co-founder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management who stepped down in 2021 amid fallout over his ties to Epstein. He became the 16th person to appear before the committee as part of their broader investigation into the web of wealth and influence around Epstein.
Lawmakers emerged from the closed-door voluntary interview with Black saying he refused to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements, prompting the committee to issue a subpoena about the NDAs. A second subpoena was issued for Black to testify under oath on July 16.
Black maintained that he was not aware of Epstein’s nefarious activity until 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part due to his unrivaled network of relationships with influential figures.
Investigation
The investigation has also involved other high-profile figures, including former Democratic President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Democrats on the House committee have pushed Republicans to seek testimony from President Donald Trump, a Republican who had his own years-long relationship with Epstein. Republicans have refused, saying they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
