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Billionaire investor Leon Black left a closed-door House Oversight Committee hearing on June 26, 2026 after refusing to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements connected to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, prompting the panel to issue two subpoenas for the documents and a formal deposition next month, according to Chairman James Comer. The Republican-led committee had summoned Black as part of its examination of the disgraced financier’s connections to wealthy individuals, with the walkout occurring roughly one hour into the voluntary transcribed interview. Lawmakers from both parties described the development as a significant escalation in their efforts to obtain details on agreements that may have involved women linked to Epstein’s network.
The panel’s subpoenas, announced by Comer midway through the session, demand that Black produce any nondisclosure agreements he signed as well as those related to Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. A second subpoena requires the co-founder of Apollo Global Management to return for an on-camera sworn deposition on July 16. Comer told reporters afterward that the information was vital to the investigation, while the committee’s top Democrat, Robert Garcia, said Black had stormed out when pressed on the NDAs, according to multiple accounts of the proceedings.
Black paid Epstein roughly $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for tax and estate planning advice that an external Dechert LLP review commissioned by Apollo determined generated more than $1 billion in value for him, though the report noted some of the input proved unhelpful. Senate Finance Committee investigators later placed the total transfers at $170 million after identifying additional payments not captured in the initial examination. The Dechert findings, cited by Black’s representatives, concluded he had no involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities and remained unaware of their scope until the 2019 federal charges.
During his testimony Black drew a distinction between the Epstein he knew and the one later exposed as a sex offender. “I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,” Black said. He added, “With the benefit of hindsight, I now know… I did not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019.”
Black’s attorney Susan Estrich maintained that Epstein played no role in any nondisclosure agreements. “Mr Epstein had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not,” Estrich said. The hearing also referenced Black’s six-year affair with former Russian model Guzel Ganieva that ended with a 2015 nondisclosure agreement and payments, after which her related lawsuit alleging abuse was dismissed on the basis of that contract, court records show.
The Oversight Committee’s work follows a referral from the Senate Finance Committee, which has spent years scrutinizing the financial arrangements and their potential tax implications. Black stepped down as Apollo’s CEO in 2021 and as chairman months later amid the initial revelations, though the firm has stated Epstein performed no services for it. He has described the association as a horrible mistake while denying any knowledge of or participation in criminal conduct.
Black represents the 16th witness to appear before the committee in its broader probe of Epstein’s web of influence among prominent figures, according to congressional statements. The panel continues to seek a fuller accounting of how Epstein leveraged relationships with high-net-worth individuals, building on justice department files and prior investigative reporting that detailed the extent of those connections.
