Epstein survivors call on billionaire Leon Black to cooperate with House panel

More than a dozen survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell issued a letter on Wednesday urging New York private equity investor Leon Black to appear before the House oversight committee on Thursday as required.

The letter demands that Black fully comply with the committee's subpoenas, including handing over all nondisclosure agreements in his possession that might clarify his relationship with Epstein and others connected to him.

Black paid Epstein tens of millions of dollars over the years for what he has described as tax and estate-planning work. He has previously been accused of deliberately delaying and obstructing the committee's investigation.

Contempt threat looms

Last week, committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, warned that Black could be held in contempt of Congress if he does not fully cooperate. As of Tuesday, Black had not confirmed he would appear at the hearing.

In a statement submitted to the committee in June, Black denied any knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct, saying he only learned of it when Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019. He did, however, acknowledge knowing that Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges involving prostitution with a minor.

This week, Kentucky Republican representative Thomas Massie, who recently lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, read the names of several Epstein associates, including Black, from the House floor, calling on the Department of Justice to investigate them. Massie also noted that despite nearly a year passing since the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed, millions of related files remain unreleased.