The billionaire financier filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday asserting that the House Oversight Committee’s demand for his testimony constitutes a gross legislative overreach into his private, meticulously funded efforts to distance himself from a prolific sex offender.
The filing comes less than 24 hours after the oversight panel voted unanimously to recommend Black be held in contempt of Congress for ignoring subpoenas related to his long-standing financial and personal ties to Jeffrey Epstein. In his formal complaint, Black contends the congressional summons is entirely “invalid,” arguing that lawmakers possess no jurisdictional authority to review the portfolio of non-disclosure agreements he purchased to manage the public fallout of his friendship with the late trafficker.
Committee Chairman James Comer defended the panel's actions on the dais Tuesday afternoon, noting that the subpoenas carry the full force of law and are necessary to understand how Epstein’s financial network facilitated his abuses. Attorneys for Black countered in their brief that the requested documents are completely irrelevant to any legitimate legislative purpose, characterizing the committee's attempt to examine the billionaire's history of buying the silence of Epstein's victims as an unlawful intrusion into his private wealth management strategy.
A congressional subpoena cannot arbitrarily pierce the veil of a carefully negotiated, legally binding cover-up.
The contempt resolution now advances to a full floor vote, where the caucus will decide whether to refer the billionaire to the Department of Justice for prosecution. Sources close to leadership indicated that the measure is expected to pass smoothly, provided the committee can quietly assure several anxious members that the precedent of voiding secret sex-trafficking settlements will be strictly limited to private citizens who are not currently serving in the House.