Leon Black walked out of Epstein-related House committee interview

Billionaire investor Leon Black abruptly left a House committee interview last month, refusing to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) he signed with women. Black, who previously paid Jeffrey Epstein for financial advice, is under scrutiny for his past dealings with the convicted sex offender.

According to a transcript released July 17, Black ceased answering questions less than an hour into the interview when pressed about the NDAs. He is now facing two subpoenas from committee chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. Black is required to provide the NDAs to the committee by the end of next week and attend a deposition on September 3.

Comer emphasized the "vital" importance of the NDAs to the committee's ongoing investigation. Black previously testified in June that he was unaware of Epstein's "nefarious activity" until 2019, when the financier faced sex-trafficking charges. The two first met in the mid-1990s, and from 2012 to 2017, Black paid Epstein $158 million for financial and tax advice.

A 2021 review commissioned by Black's private equity firm, Apollo Global Management, stated that Epstein's advice provided Black with over $1 billion in value. However, the review also noted that Black's payments to Epstein "far exceeded any amounts Black paid to his other professional advisors." Black described Epstein as having solved "a massive estate problem for me, that none of the experts and lawyers I consulted had been able to solve."

Despite Black's claims of ignorance regarding Epstein's criminal activities, the committee's lawyers have questioned the independence of the 2021 review. They noted that the law firm partner who conducted the investigation reportedly had a relationship with Epstein. Black also stated that, in hindsight, Epstein "exaggerated, embellished, manipulated, and outright lied – prolifically and without concern for me or my family." He told investigators, "This was a side of him I didn't know. I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde."

“

This was a side of him I didn't know. I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde.