A high-stakes congressional investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hit a dramatic standoff on Friday, as billionaire investor Leon Black exited a closed-door hearing after declining to respond to questions about non-disclosure agreements tied to his connections to Epstein, according to committee lawmakers.
Black, whose ties to the disgraced financier have placed him under intense scrutiny in recently unsealed Epstein documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice, had agreed to appear voluntarily before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee. But he left the session abruptly when questioning turned to NDAs he may have executed in connection with his relationship with Epstein, committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, confirmed.
The committee had already issued two formal subpoenas demanding Black turn over all NDA documents and participate in a sworn on-camera deposition. Black stepped down from Apollo Global Management, the private equity giant he co-founded, in 2021, when public scrutiny of his long-standing ties to Epstein first intensified. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to his association with the financier.
Comer laid out the committee’s core line of inquiry Friday, saying: “We want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDA? We want to know everything about the NDAs.”
Black’s legal team confirmed to the BBC that the billionaire left the hearing after the team completed its opening remarks. Per CBS News, the BBC’s media partner, Black hired Epstein as a personal wealth management advisor years ago, and the pair allegedly discussed sensitive personal matters, including extramarital affairs that resulted in non-disclosure agreements.
During his short appearance Friday, Black told the committee that over the course of his decades-long professional relationship with Epstein, he paid the financier a total of $158 million (£120 million) for legitimate professional services. That large sum has already been the subject of a separate Senate probe, which examined claims that Black intentionally overpaid Epstein, masking undisclosed personal payments under the cover of financial consulting fees.
Black’s attorneys have repeatedly pointed to an independent internal investigation conducted by international law firm Dechert on behalf of Apollo, which concluded all fees paid from Black to Epstein were tied to legitimate tax advisory work. Following the narrative shared by dozens of other wealthy and powerful figures tied to the Epstein investigation, Black told the committee he was deceived by the late financier.
In his opening statement, a copy of which was shared with the BBC by his legal team, Black said: “I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde.” He added: “With the benefit of hindsight, I now know, as does the world, that Epstein was engaged in horrific, sordid activities. I feel terrible for Epstein’s victims. I want to state clearly that I did not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019.”
Black issued a sweeping denial of all allegations of misconduct, saying he never abused any woman, was never with an underage person, never participated in sex trafficking, never paid Epstein for access to women, and was never blackmailed by the financier.
Black’s lead attorney, Susan Estrich, has denounced the congressional subpoenas as “a planned political stunt.” She emphasized that “Mr Epstein had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not,” and accused the committee of avoiding questions about the legitimate payments Black made to Epstein for tax and estate planning services.
Court records show Black carried on a six-year extramarital affair with former Russian model Guzel Ganieva, which ended with Ganieva filing a lawsuit accusing Black of abuse. In that 2015 suit, which was ultimately dismissed, Ganieva alleged Black drafted an NDA to force her to stay silent about the affair. Unsealed Department of Justice documents show Epstein advised Black on the matter, including an email to Black’s assistant where Epstein suggested Black hire former law enforcement officials to approach Ganieva and deliver the NDA terms, writing: “Choose method of message delivery, my choice. – two highly respected former —- fill in the blank, immigration, scotland yard. sfo. . who may knock on her door and present the terms.”
Estrich has dismissed Ganieva’s allegations as “demonstrably false”, and Black has previously said he was the victim of extortion over the affair. A judge ultimately dismissed Ganieva’s lawsuit, noting the NDA she had signed and the roughly $9 million she received in the years after entering the agreement.
The House Oversight Committee’s top Democratic member, Robert Garcia, said in a post-hearing statement that Black “stormed out” of the transcribed interview when pressed about the NDAs. “Leon Black had a chance to do the right thing and help us bring justice to the survivors,” Garcia said. “Instead, he ran out of the room when he was pressed for information about his non-disclosure agreements with women and his relationship with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. Black will be held accountable if he doesn’t comply with our investigation.”