The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed billionaire Leon Black in the middle of a closed-door interview on Friday about his interactions with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, said the committee issued two subpoenas after the former Apollo Global Management CEO declined to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements.
One subpoena requires Black to produce copies of any NDAs he has agreed to, said Comer, a Republican. A second subpoena requires Black to appear before the committee again, on July 16, for a deposition, Comer said.
“The NDAs are between him and other women. We want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs?” Comer told reporters. “Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women in the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDAs? We want to know everything about the NDAs.”‘
Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, called the subpoenas “a planned political stunt.”
“Mr. Epstein had no involvement with any NDA’s, whether they exist or not,” she said in a statement. “Let me reiterate, the Committee did not ask a single question about the legitimate payments to Epstein for professional services on tax and estate matters.”
Business Insider reported Thursday that members of the committee had discussed issuing subpoenas to people who might be able to testify about confidential settlements between Epstein’s friends and accusers who had accused the men of misconduct.
Some of Epstein’s accusers have signed pre-litigation settlements with Epstein associates whom the women have also accused of misconduct, according to three people with knowledge of such settlements, including Brad Edwards, an attorney who has represented more than 200 of Epstein’s accusers. These settlements include NDAs that prohibit them from speaking publicly about their experiences, the people said. One person told Business Insider they had knowledge of settlements with four of Epstein’s friends who were accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women between them.
A subpoenaed deposition would legally require Black to answer any questions asked of him, even if he has signed a non-disclosure agreement.
House Members were interviewing Black on Friday as part of the committee’s inquiry into the Justice Department’s handling of its investigations surrounding Epstein, and his relationships with powerful people.
“I completely support Chairman Comer’s decision here” on issuing subpoenas to Black, Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, told reporters. “The NDAs are central to us understanding what actually happened.”
Black initially agreed to the interview on a voluntary basis, which permitted him to decline to answer questions. He said in his opening statement, a prepared copy of which his spokesperson shared with Business Insider, that he would not answer questions about personal relationships.
“I am not here to answer questions about my personal life which would be hurtful to my wife, children and family,” he said. “And I will not speak about the personal lives of adult women who have not chosen, and do not deserve, to be connected, by me or anyone else, to Epstein.”
Black paid Epstein more than $150 million for what Black said were estate and tax-planning services. Black told the committee that he cut ties with Epstein after discovering that he had lied about his fees and refused to repay most of a loan.
The billionaire avoided a deposition earlier this year in a court case related to Epstein. A scheduled deposition was canceled after a group of Epstein victims settled a class-action lawsuit with Bank of America, which housed some accounts Black had used to pay him.
Black has long said that he wasn’t aware of Epstein’s sexual misconduct. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York examined sexual misconduct allegations against Black but did not bring criminal charges against him.
Black told the committee he had never abused a woman himself, according to his prepared remarks.
“This was a side of him I didn’t know,” he said. “I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde.”
Read the full article here
