Billionaire Leon Black refuses to testify in Epstein investigation and sues House committee

Billionaire investor Leon Black has sued the House Oversight Committee and refused to appear for testimony in its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Black was scheduled to give a deposition on Thursday but is challenging congressional subpoenas seeking his testimony and non-disclosure agreements, CNN reported.

His lawyers argued the committee's demands were overly broad and included documents unrelated to Epstein.

“Congress is not entitled to subpoena documents from a private citizen on the inchoate hope that something useful might show up,” Black's attorneys wrote in a letter obtained by CNN.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer criticised Black's decision and said the deposition would proceed without him.

“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people,” Comer said.

Black previously appeared for a voluntary interview in June, but it ended after he declined to answer several questions and Comer issued two subpoenas.

Black's relationship with Epstein has faced renewed scrutiny following the release of millions of documents connected to Epstein.

His attorneys said Black had no knowledge of the criminal conduct that led to Epstein's 2019 arrest and denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Top committee Democrat Robert Garcia called for Black to be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the subpoenas.