Congress Uses Unanimous Consent to Hold Leon Black in Contempt (9/17/26)

Congress escalated its confrontation with Leon Black on September 16, 2026, when the House voted by unanimous consent to hold the billionaire former Apollo CEO in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The House Oversight Committee had demanded that Black produce nondisclosure agreements in his possession, including any that referenced Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, and sit for a sworn deposition. Black had earlier walked out of a voluntary interview after refusing to answer questions about NDAs, then sued the committee rather than comply with the subpoenas. Black has said he knew nothing about Epstein’s sexual abuse and has argued that Congress is overreaching and lacks a valid legislative purpose for seeking such sweeping private records. His attorneys also contend the committee is demanding information that does not exist and is trying to pry into NDAs unrelated to Epstein.


At the same time, Oversight Chairman James Comer introduced the Survivor’s Voice Protection Act, legislation aimed directly at the use of NDAs in sexual-abuse cases. The bill would void confidentiality provisions that prevent survivors from speaking about abuse and would also allow other people with relevant information to disclose facts about that abuse. The move came after reporting that some Epstein accusers had signed confidential settlements with associates of Epstein whom they had also accused of misconduct. Comer said the investigation had shown how powerful men could use NDAs to silence survivors, making Black’s refusal to produce his agreements part of a larger congressional fight over secrecy in the Epstein network. The contempt vote now allows House Speaker Mike Johnson to send a criminal referral to the Justice Department, while Black’s lawsuit against the committee continues separately in federal court.







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Congress Battles Jeffrey Epstein Patron Leon Black Over NDAs - Business Insider