US House votes to hold billionaire Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives has agreed to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying a legal summons related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Key points

• Black has remarked he hired Epstein as a wealth management adviser, telling lawmakers in June that he provided Epstein $158m (£118m) for legitimate reasons.
• After passage of the measure holding Black in contempt, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer remarked: No-one is above the law.
• The billionaire has remarked he did not know concerning Epstein's crimes until he was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019.
• It he co-founded, against the backdrop of scrutiny in 2021 over his Epstein ties.
• In a written statement, the committee's top Democrat, congressman Robert Garcia, called the contempt vote "an important step towards justice and accountability".

Black, who had business ties to Epstein, did not comply with a subpoena ordering him to appear before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month and share documents related to Epstein.

Lawyers for Black, who has sued over the summons, called the contempt move "outrageous".

After passage of the measure holding Black in contempt, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer remarked: "No-one is above the law. We will continue to seek transparency for the American individuals and justice for survivors."

In an official note shared with US media, lawyers for Black called the House move an "outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr Black".

"The full House is holding him in contempt without any regard to the active litigation challenging the lawfulness of the Committee's actions and the ethics complaint against Chairman Comer, " they remarked.

In practice, the measure, which passed by unanimous consent, means the matter will be referred to the US justice department. It will decide whether to criminally prosecute Black.

"We will continue to center the survivors in our fight to hold those responsible for these horrific crimes, " he remarked.

Meanwhile, the private equity tycoon walked out of voluntary testimony before the House Oversight Committee in June after he was asked regarding nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) he may have signed, lawmakers stated at the time.

Black left Apollo Global Management. It he co-founded, against the backdrop of scrutiny in 2021 over his Epstein ties. He has denied any wrongdoing with regards to his dealings with Epstein.

In practice, the subpoenas, which ordered Black to share NDAs and offer an on-camera deposition under oath, were issued after he left the committee gathering in June.

Notably, the billionaire has remarked he did not know concerning Epstein's crimes until he was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019.

For now, US House votes to hold billionaire Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.