A House oversight committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend that the House of Representatives hold billionaire financier Leon Black in contempt of Congress. The move follows Black’s refusal to comply with subpoenas for testimony and various nondisclosure agreements as part of a broader investigation into the network surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. Committee Chair James Comer emphasized that subpoenas are not mere suggestions but carry the force of law, asserting that Black’s long-term personal relationship with Epstein makes his cooperation essential to the probe.

The conflict reached a boiling point after Black failed to attend a scheduled deposition on September 3 and provided only one of several requested nondisclosure agreements. While the bipartisan committee passed the resolution forty-one to zero, moving the matter toward a full House vote, Black has fought back through the courts. He filed a lawsuit to block the subpoenas, claiming they are invalid and exceed the committee’s authority by seeking private information unrelated to any legitimate legislative purpose. His legal team further argued that releasing these documents could expose innocent women who valued their privacy and entered into confidential bargains.

Legal representatives for Black have been scathing in their criticism, describing the committee’s actions as an abomination and a textbook abuse of power intended to bully private citizens. In a strongly worded statement, his attorneys insisted that Black had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, never participated in sex trafficking, and never paid for access to women. They expressed regret over his previous business dealings with Epstein while maintaining that he has committed no wrongdoing.

This standoff comes amid pressure from more than a dozen survivors of Epstein’s abuse, who have publicly urged Black to comply with the requests. These advocates argue that the very existence of secretive nondisclosure agreements highlights why Congress must examine these records to uncover how Epstein operated within high society. This isn’t the first time the committee has used such tactics in this inquiry; earlier this year, similar threats were directed at Bill and Hillary Clinton, though both eventually agreed to testify.