Leon Black to face U.S. lawmakers in Epstein-related congressional probe

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Leon Black congressional probe

Highlights

Leon Black will testify in a closed-door House Oversight Committee session amid a year-long probe into federal handling of the Epstein case.
Black paid Epstein over $150 million for financial advice, drawing renewed scrutiny after Justice Department Epstein file releases and fresh relationship disclosures.
Other prominent figures—Bill Gates, Kathy Ruemmler of Goldman Sachs, and ex-Barclays chief Jes Staley—are also scheduled to appear before the committee this summer.

Committee inquiry expands this summer

As first reported by Financial Times, Black is set to appear before Congress in a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee, which has spent more than a year investigating how federal authorities handled the case involving the convicted sex offender.

The inquiry is separate from the U.S. Department of Justice effort to publish more than 3 million pages of material related to Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Black stepped down as Apollo Global Management's chief executive in 2021 after scrutiny over his long relationship with Epstein intensified. The private equity co-founder had paid Epstein more than $150 million for personal financial advice, including work related to taxes, art transactions and the management of his yacht and private plane.

His ties to Epstein have come under renewed attention in recent months following the Justice Department's release of Epstein files and new disclosures about the relationship between the two men.

Broader fallout for finance and corporate figures

Black is among a growing list of Epstein's former associates scheduled to appear before the committee this summer, extending the political and reputational fallout for prominent figures in business and finance.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates answered questions from lawmakers for nearly six hours earlier this month. The panel on Tuesday released a nearly 140-page transcript of that interview, in which Gates said it was a "mistake" to have ever met Epstein.

Kathy Ruemmler, who is set to step down as Goldman Sachs' top lawyer this year after Justice Department files detailed her ties to Epstein, is due to appear before the committee next month. Former Barclays chief Jes Staley has also agreed to face lawmakers next month after failing last year to overturn a lifetime ban from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, which said he had recklessly misled authorities about the nature of his relationship with Epstein.

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