Billionaire Leon Black sues US congressional panel over Epstein subpoena

Billionaire Leon Black has sued a United States House of Representatives committee investigating convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his influential social circle.

The lawsuit on Thursday was filed as Black, the cofounder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, skipped a scheduled deposition.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform had issued two subpoenas to Black when he appeared for a voluntary interview in June. Lawmakers at the time said he had refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements related to Epstein.

In a statement, Black’s lawyer called the panel’s investigation “a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility”.

“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr Black,” Susan Estrich said.

Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, called on Congress to hold Black in contempt of Congress “immediately”.

Holding an individual in contempt of Congress typically requires a vote by the full House. If that passes, a citation is sent to a federal prosecutor, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, who can impanel a grand jury for a potential indictment.

It remained unclear whether the Republican-controlled House would have the appetite to pursue such a measure.