James Comer Rejects Leon Black’s Bid to Narrow Epstein Inquiry (8/21/26)

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer threatened billionaire Leon Black with contempt of Congress if he continued resisting the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The dispute intensified after Black’s voluntary June appearance ended after roughly an hour when lawmakers from both parties said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. Comer then issued subpoenas requiring Black to produce all NDAs to which he was a party and to return for a formal deposition. Black had produced one agreement and indicated he was willing to provide another, but his lawyers also sought assurances that he would not be held in contempt, tried to convert the subpoenaed deposition into a voluntary interview, attempted to narrow questioning to only those agreements, and sought to delay the September 3 appearance until October. Comer rejected those efforts, accusing Black of trying to dictate the scope of the investigation rather than comply with it.


The confrontation carried additional weight because Black had one of the most extensive documented financial relationships with Epstein among the billionaire’s wealthy associates. Epstein provided tax and estate-planning services to Black from 2012 through 2017, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, and Black ultimately paid him roughly $170 million. Black maintained that he did not know about Epstein’s broader criminal activity until 2019, although he acknowledged knowing about Epstein’s earlier conviction involving a minor. Comer argued that Black could not unilaterally decide which confidentiality agreements were relevant, noting that even NDAs signed after Epstein’s death could potentially involve Epstein victims. Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, rejected the committee’s position as a political “witch hunt,” but Comer made the stakes clear: if Black failed to produce responsive documents or appear for his September 3 deposition, the committee was prepared to use contempt proceedings and other enforcement tools against him.



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Epstein client Leon Black threatened with contempt by House panel chair | House of Representatives | The Guardian