Billionaire Leon Black is suing the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform seeking to block subpoenas it issued him in its probe of Jeffrey Epstein.
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with subpoenas issued to him related to a committee's ongoing investigation of the notorious late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein .
The vote by unanimous consent sets the stage for House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., to certify the matter to refer Black's conduct to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.
It came a day after the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform , in a 41-0 vote, passed a resolution recommending the full House hold the former Apollo Global Management CEO in contempt.
It is not clear whether the DOJ ultimately will prosecute Black.
Defendants convicted of contempt of Congress face a possible sentence of not less than one month and not more than 12 months in prison.
A DOJ spokesperson, in a statement to MS NOW, said, "The Department of Justice is expecting to receive the referral from [the] House Oversight Committee and takes allegations of contempt of Congress seriously."
"For the past 18 months, the Department has repeatedly said it will follow additional investigative leads in all matters relating to Jeffrey Epstein," the spokesperson said. "The US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia will review the referral of Mr. Black carefully and will not hesitate to pursue additional cases where the evidence supports."
The contempt action stems from Black's failure to appear for a transcribed deposition by the committee on Sept. 3 after it issued him a subpoena for that appearance, and his failure to comply fully with a separate subpoena seeking copies of nondisclosure agreements he has been party to.
Black gave the committee one of the NDAs, which his lawyers said was the "only" one that Epstein knew about, but withheld others.
"No one is above the law," House Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement.
"Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress," Comer said. "We will continue to seek transparency for the American people and justice for survivors in our investigation of the federal government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases."
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House oversight panel, said, "This vote is an important step towards justice and accountability."
"We will continue to center the survivors in our fight to hold those responsible for these horrific crimes," Garcia said. "We are just getting started."
Black's attorneys blasted the House for its contempt holding, calling it "an outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black."
"The House of Representatives has rushed through every stage of this inquiry. First, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Chairman Comer rushed to issue him subpoenas," the lawyers, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, said in a statement.
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via CNBC Top News.
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