—Kerry Hill, B1Daily

Billionaire investor Leon Black is facing potentially serious consequences on Capitol Hill after Republicans and Democrats unanimously agreed that his cooperation with Congress’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation hasn’t gone far enough.

The House Oversight Committee voted 41-0 on September 15 to recommend that the full House hold Black in contempt of Congress. The dispute centers on congressional subpoenas seeking additional testimony and nondisclosure agreements as lawmakers investigate Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and the federal government’s handling of their cases.

Black, the billionaire co-founder and former CEO of Apollo Global Management, voluntarily appeared before investigators in June. But lawmakers say he refused to answer questions concerning NDAs, leading Republican Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky to issue subpoenas demanding another deposition and the relevant agreements. According to the committee, Black subsequently failed to appear for his September 3 deposition and produced only one NDA.

The financial relationship between Black and Epstein has also attracted congressional scrutiny. Black paid Epstein approximately $158 million for tax and estate-planning services. Black has said he regrets employing Epstein and has maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct.

Black isn’t quietly accepting Congress’s demands.

He has sued the committee in federal court, arguing that the subpoenas lack a legitimate legislative purpose and that producing private agreements could violate the privacy of women with no known connection to Epstein. His attorneys have characterized the contempt effort as retaliation and an abuse of congressional power.

Congressional investigators see things differently. Comer says lawmakers want to determine whether NDAs or confidentiality agreements could have been used to conceal criminal activity. The committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, also supported the contempt recommendation.

That bipartisan 41-0 vote is what makes this development particularly significant. In an Epstein investigation frequently surrounded by partisan warfare, every voting member of the committee agreed on this step.

But Black has not yet been held in contempt by the full House. The committee has only recommended it. The resolution must now reach the House floor. If the House approves it, the matter can be referred to the Justice Department for potential prosecution, where charging decisions would belong to federal prosecutors.

The broader question is becoming increasingly difficult for Washington to avoid: When Congress investigates how Jeffrey Epstein maintained relationships with extraordinarily wealthy and influential people, how much secrecy should private agreements be allowed to preserve?

For Leon Black, that question has now moved from uncomfortable congressional testimony to a possible contempt fight.

—Kerry Hill, B1Daily