Leon Black told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Friday that he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes during the years he paid the convicted sex offender tens of millions of dollars, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.
The interview was conducted behind closed doors and was transcribed, and the committee is expected to release a transcript at a later date.
An attorney for Black wrote in an April letter that documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act "do not contain any credible evidence that Mr. Black was aware of, or involved with, Mr. Epstein's then-ongoing criminal activities," and the law firm Dechert LLP, which conducted an independent review for Apollo, said it found "no evidence that Black or any employee of the Family Office or Apollo was involved in any way with Epstein's criminal activities at any time," reporting it examined tens of thousands of documents and interviewed more than 20 witnesses.
Dechert also concluded that Black paid Epstein $158 million and reported that the tax work Epstein performed produced billions of dollars in savings and had been vetted by reputable law and accounting firms; Black said he had believed the net fees he paid over five years were $95 million but that the actual amount was $158 million and that Epstein had told him the fees were tax-deductible "60-cent dollars," a claim Black said later proved false and that he was duped out of more than $60 million in advisory fees.
In his prepared remarks Black said he knew Epstein for 18 years before he began paying him in 2013 for tax and estate planning, acknowledged he was aware of Epstein's 2008 sex crime conviction and said Epstein told him it was an isolated incident resulting from a fake ID; Black said he gave Epstein a second chance five years after the conviction and fired him in 2018 after growing tired of what Black called Epstein's relentless pursuit of more money and his failure to repay most of a $30 million demand loan.
Emails released by the committee show Epstein was involved in Black's personal matters while advising on wealth management; one Epstein email suggested, "Choose method of message delivery, my choice. - two highly respected former ---- fill in the blank, immigration, scotland yard. sfo. . who may knock on her door and present the terms." Court records show Black had a six-year affair with a former Russian model that ended in acrimony and allegations of abuse, and that Black prepared a nondisclosure agreement in 2015 that later broke down, leading to lawsuits and countersuits; court filings show he discussed the agreement with Epstein and a private investigator.
A Justice Department document titled "PROMINENT NAMES" listed allegations under Black's name, including that "Epstein told [name redacted] to give Black a massage while Black was naked" and that "another female gave Black a massage and he made her perform oral sex," and the document did not indicate investigators had verified the allegations.
Three women have sued Black for alleged sexual abuse; one suit has been dismissed, one withdrawn and one remains pending. Black has denied the allegations, and his lawyers said the claims were false and that the released documents showed Epstein had "embellished, exaggerated and lied about Mr Black." In a separate civil investigation by the U.S. Virgin Islands, Black agreed to pay $62.5 million in a settlement that states, "The terms of this Agreement shall not be cited by any person as evidence of wrongdoing by Black."
The House committee has already interviewed other wealthy figures and executives, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Les Wexner, and has also conducted interviews with ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The Oversight Committee issued two subpoenas in the middle of Black's transcribed interview after he refused to answer questions about potential nondisclosure agreements with women tied to Epstein, Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said.
Comer announced the subpoenas — one seeking the NDAs and the other calling for Black to reappear for a formal deposition — after the first hour of the interview concluded with Black insisting he would not discuss the terms of those agreements. Black had initially agreed to appear voluntarily, and the committee said the deposition, scheduled for July 16, will be videotaped and conducted under oath.
"We believe that information is vital to our investigation," Comer said, asking whether Epstein was involved in the NDAs, whether he was involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs and what the reason for the NDAs was. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the panel, seconded the decision to force a deposition, saying, "There's no question that as soon as this interview started, that the witness was not going to answer critical questions."
After Black left the closed-door interview, his lawyer Susan Estrich said Epstein "had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not," and said her client has never abused a woman. Estrich called the subpoenas "nothing more than a planned political stunt," and noted that they were served after less than an hour of questioning; she has represented the late Fox News chairman Roger Ailes in past legal matters.
Several Democrats who attended the interview said they were aghast at Black's lack of cooperation. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said more than one of Epstein's accusers had previously accused Black of committing sexual misconduct and said, "Before Mr. Black left the interview, he admitted that he lived close to Epstein. He often dined at his house. He went over for breakfast, for happy hours, attended impromptu dinners with world leaders, with academics, with scientists." Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) alleged that Black "gush[ed] poetically about how smart and how great Jeffrey Epstein was" and accused him of walking out on the committee.
Comer has asked acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to speak with the panel following a recent court ruling in which a federal judge said the Justice Department effectively conceded it had been violating a law Congress passed last November requiring the agency to release the vast majority of government records relating to Epstein. The judge gave Blanche one week to release certain names and other information that was redacted from the files or to provide a more detailed explanation for why they have not been published.
Critics say the department has been seeking to protect powerful people implicated in Epstein's crimes, including potentially President Donald Trump, who has not been charged with wrongdoing and has denied misconduct.