Who is billionaire Leon Black and why did he walk out of the closed-door Epstein files hearing? | Today’s news
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed billionaire investor Leon Black on Friday after lawmakers said he refused to fully respond to questions about his longtime relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, during which he allegedly paid the disgraced financier at least $158 million, the AP reported.
Black, co-founder and former CEO of private equity firm Apollo Global Management, resigned in 2021 following scrutiny of his ties to Epstein. He is the 16th person to appear before the committee as part of its broader investigation into the web of wealth and influence linked to Epstein.
Lawmakers said he refused to answer questions related to nondisclosure agreements after voluntarily interviewing Black behind closed doors, prompting the committee to issue a subpoena to obtain information about the NDA. A separate subpoena was also issued requiring Black to appear for sworn testimony on July 16, the AP reported.
“It’s a result of refusing to answer specific questions,” committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters after Black’s interview.
Read also | Bill Gates says Epstein planned to blackmail him for having extramarital affairs
Susan Estrich, an attorney representing Black, said the decision to serve the subpoena was a “premeditated political decision.” She called it a “planned political stunt”.
Democrats emerged from an hour of questioning of Black saying he did not answer questions and applauded Comer’s decision to subpoena him.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters that “it was clear from the beginning of this conversation that Leon Black was not going to answer critical questions.”
Black was featured prominently in Epstein’s files
As the AP reported, Black is repeatedly mentioned in files released by the Justice Department in connection with the Epstein investigation. It also appears in a collection of birthday messages sent to Epstein released by a House committee last year, including a poem attributed to him that refers to “Blond, Red or Brunette, geographically spread.”
Black claimed Friday that he was unaware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part because of his “unrivalled network of relationships” with influential figures, the AP reported.
Read also | Bill Gates says meeting with Jeffrey Epstein was a ‘serious error in judgment’
“I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,” Black said.
A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo concluded that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017, several years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to underage prostitution. The review said the payments were for “good faith tax, estate planning and other related services.”
“I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others. I wish I hadn’t,” Black said.
Epstein was indicted in July 2019 on federal charges of trafficking in minors and conspiracy to traffic in minors. The US Department of Justice alleged that he ran a wide network involving underage girls, some as young as 14, whom he abused between 2002 and 2005.
He died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Comer said earlier this year that Epstein’s former accountant Richard Kahn told lawmakers in testimony that Epstein had received significant sums of money from a number of high-profile individuals, including Black, the AP reported.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., referred findings from the nearly four-year investigation of Black to a House committee this month. Wyden said in a statement: “It appears that Epstein even acted as an intermediary for Black to pay the women on Black’s behalf.
In his opening statement, Black broadly dismissed the allegations, calling them “rank speculation.”
“I have never abused a woman. I have never been with a minor woman. I have never engaged in sex trafficking. I have never paid Epstein for access to women. I have never been blackmailed by Epstein.”
Many prominent figures have been subpoenaed to testify about Epstein
Others who have appeared in connection with the investigation include former US President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Gates testified earlier this month and said he made a “serious error in judgment” when meeting with Epstein.
Black said Epstein’s network included SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, the AP reported.
Read also | Epstein’s prison guard, Tova Noel, will testify before a House committee today
Democrats on the House committee urged Republicans to seek testimony from President Donald Trump, a Republican who had a longtime relationship with Epstein. Republicans have dismissed it, saying they have come across no evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.
Comer said he has been in contact with the Justice Department about Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche coming in for questioning soon.
In her testimony, Bondi emphasized that Blanche oversaw the chaotic release of the federal Epstein files, which included the inadvertent release of victim information.
