US House votes to hold billionaire Epstein associate Leon Black in contempt

The US House of Representatives has agreed to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying legal summons related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Black - who had business ties to Epstein - did not comply with a subpoena ordering him to appear before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month and share documents related to Epstein.

Lawyers for Black, who has sued over the summons, called the contempt move "outrageous".

After passage of the measure holding Black in contempt, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said: "No one is above the law."

"We will continue to seek transparency for the American people and justice for survivors."

In a statement shared with US media, lawyers for Black called the House move an "outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black".

"The full House is holding him in contempt without any regard to the active litigation challenging the lawfulness of the Committee's actions and the ethics complaint against Chairman Comer," they said.

The measure, which passed by unanimous consent, means the matter will be referred to the US justice department, which will decide whether to criminally prosecute Black.

In a statement, the committee's top Democrat, Congressman Robert Garcia, called the contempt vote "an important step towards justice and accountability".

"We will continue to center the survivors in our fight to hold those responsible for these horrific crimes," he said.

Black walked out of voluntary testimony before the House Oversight Committee in June after he was asked about nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) he may have signed, lawmakers said at the time.

Black left Apollo Global Management, which he co-founded, amid scrutiny in 2021 over his Epstein ties. He has denied any wrongdoing with regards to his dealings with Epstein.

The subpoenas, which ordered Black to share NDAs and give an on-camera deposition under oath, were issued after he left the committee meeting in June.

Black has said he hired Epstein as a wealth management adviser, telling lawmakers in June that he gave Epstein $158m (£118m) for legitimate reasons.

The billionaire has said he did not know about Epstein's crimes until he was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019.