House panel votes to hold Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt

The House Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to recommend the full House find billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with subpoenas related to its probe into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The bipartisan vote was unanimous, 41-0.

Black, a private equity investor who had a business relationship with Epstein, voluntarily sat for a closed-door transcribed interview with the Republican-led committee in late June but left before it was over, after lawmakers complained he wasn’t answering their questions. As a result, they issued subpoenas for him to turn over more information.

He didn’t show up for a later deposition the committee scheduled and sued it, seeking to block the subpoenas for his appearance and nondisclosure agreements tied to Epstein.

Attorneys for Black called the committee’s action a “complete abomination” in a statement ahead of the vote called by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chair.

“This is retaliation — plain and simple,” the attorneys, Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler, wrote. “We have the constitutional right to sue Chairman Comer and the Committee because the subpoenas issued were illegitimate, illegal and a textbook abuse of power designed to bully and destroy legal protections of private citizens.”

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business