The House of Representatives approved a motion on Wednesday to hold Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to Jeffrey Epstein's affairs. As the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, Black has been at the center of scrutiny due to his financial ties to Epstein; he was deposed by the House oversight committee earlier this month but filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the subpoenas. The committee unanimously agreed on Tuesday to hold him in contempt, and Chairman James Comer emphasized that "no one is above the law" while stressing the importance of transparency for the American people regarding the Epstein case.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The US House of Representatives voted unanimously on June 27 to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with subpoenas related to his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The committee's unanimous recommendation came from its investigation into the federal government’s handling of the Epstein case, which included depositions and interviews with key figures linked to Epstein. Survivors of Epstein’s abuse praised the move, stating it sends a "clear message that wealth and influence do not put anyone beyond the reach of congressional oversight." The Department of Justice will now decide whether to pursue criminal prosecution against Black, who had previously voluntarily appeared before the committee but refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.
Written for “House Holds Black In Contempt Over Ep…” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
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Leaning score withheld for article 14705: attributed speech only · logged 2026-09-17
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a motion to hold business magnate Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he declined to comply with subpoenas related to Jeffrey Epstein issued by one of the lower chamber’s most powerful committees.
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he → approve → committees
As the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, Black paid Epstein to be his wealth adviser for years and has been scrutinized for his connections to the deceased New York financier in recent months after debate over Epstein’s life surged.
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debate → pay → life
Black was deposed by the House oversight committee to appear for testimony on Epstein and hand over several nondisclosure agreements earlier this month, but stirred a ruckus when he refused, instead filing a lawsuit challenging the panel’s subpoenas as invalid because they bear “no legitimate connection” to the committee’s purpose.
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they → depose → purpose
On Tuesday, the House oversight committee unanimously agreed to hold Black in contempt of Congress.
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Black → agree → Congress
The House on Wednesday then approved Chairman James Comer’s (R-KY) move to advance the measure, setting the stage for the matter to be sent to the Department of Justice to determine whether to prosecute Black criminally.
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matter → approve → Black
Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress.
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him → defy → Congress
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,” Comer said in a statement referring to Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime confidante, who is now in prison.
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who → continue → prison
Black has been accused in court of raping two women, including a minor, at Epstein’s New York home in 2002, allegations he denies.
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he → accuse → allegations
He argued in his lawsuit that turning over NDAs requested by the oversight committee would “expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it.”
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who → argue → it
Before defying the committee’s summons earlier this month, Black voluntarily gave an interview to the panel in June.
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Black → defy → June
At the time, he said a previous investigation found he paid Epstein a total of $158 million over the course of multiple years to help manage his wealth and perform “valuable and legitimate tax and estate planning services.”
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he → say → services
Black testified that Epstein saved him billions of dollars, but told lawmakers that the New York financier also manipulated him out of millions.
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financier → testify → millions
“Epstein also told me that the fees I was paying him were tax-deductible 60-cent dollars, which I only learned years later was not true, i.e., what I believed to be $95 million of net fees paid to him over five years was actually $158 million,” he said.
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he → tell → years
“But at the time I was led to believe by Epstein that I was paying 60-cent dollars.
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I → lead → dollars
That assurance was subsequently proved to be false.
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assurance → prove → ?
With hindsight, I now see that Epstein exaggerated, embellished, manipulated, and outright lied prolifically and without concern for me or my family, and I now see that his deceit was not limited to me but also extended to numerous highly sophisticated individuals.”
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deceit → see → individuals
Black claimed the investigation released by the Dechert law firm in 2021 cleared him of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
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investigation → claim → Epstein
“The fact of the matter is that I am the only person in Epstein’s orbit, including all seven of the individuals who have been called to appear before this committee, who has been the subject of an independent investigation made at my request wherein the results were made public,” he told lawmakers.
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he → include → lawmakers
“The Dechert law firm spent 3 months examining 60,000 documents and 22 interviewing over 20 people. …
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22 → spend → people
It also found, importantly, that I had no knowledge of or did not participate in 20 any way with any of his criminal behavior.”
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I → find → behavior
The Aporia
