Billionaire investor Leon Black stated Friday that Jeffrey Epstein deceived him throughout a yearslong relationship by which he paid the disgraced financier $158 million, however insisted he dedicated no legal wrongdoing as he appeared earlier than the Home Oversight Committee.
Black is the sixteenth individual to look earlier than the committee as a part of their broader investigation into the web of wealth and influence round Epstein. Earlier than getting into the closed-door deposition, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the Home committee chairman, advised reporters he believed it could be essentially the most “groundbreaking” but.
“This might be a fairly important deposition as we attempt to get solutions,” stated Comer.
Black is the cofounder and former chief government of the non-public fairness agency Apollo International Administration. He stepped down in 2021 amid fallout over his ties to Epstein.
Black maintained Friday that he was not conscious of Epstein’s “nefarious exercise” till 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legit functions, partially attributable to his “unmatched community of relationships” with influential figures.
“I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,” stated Black.
Black was featured prominently within the Epstein information
Black is talked about repeatedly in information that the Division of Justice has launched associated to the Epstein investigation. He additionally seems in a group of birthday messages despatched to Epstein that have been launched by the Home committee final 12 months, together with a poem attributed to him that refers to “Blond, Crimson or Brunette, unfold out geographically.”
A 2021 evaluation commissioned by Apollo discovered that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The evaluation stated the funds have been for “bona fide tax, property planning and different associated providers.”
“I gave Epstein a second likelihood, as did many others. I want I had not,” Black stated.
Epstein was indicted in July 2019 on federal costs of intercourse trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit intercourse trafficking of minors. The Justice Division alleged that Epstein created an enormous community of women, some as younger as 14, for him to sexually abuse between 2002 and 2005. He died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 whereas awaiting trial.
The Home committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., stated earlier this 12 months that Epstein’s former accountant, Richard Kahn, advised lawmakers in his testimony that Epstein acquired important sums of cash from a variety of high-profile people, together with Black.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this month referred findings from a virtually four-year investigation into Black to the Home committee. In an announcement, Wyden stated, “Epstein even seems to have acted as a intermediary for Black to pay girls on Black’s behalf.”
Black broadly denied the allegations in his opening assertion, calling them “rank hypothesis.”
“I’ve by no means abused a girl. I’ve by no means been with an underage lady. I’ve by no means engaged in intercourse trafficking. I’ve by no means paid Epstein for entry to girls. I used to be by no means blackmailed by Epstein.”
Many high-profile figures have been summoned to testify about Epstein
Different figures who’ve testified within the investigation embrace former Democratic President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Gates testified earlier this month and stated he had made a “grave error in judgment” by assembly with Epstein.
Black stated Epstein’s community included SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, and Peter Thiel, the cofounder of PayPal and Palantir.
Democrats on the Home committee have pushed Republicans to hunt testimony from President Donald Trump, a Republican who had his personal yearslong relationship with Epstein. Republicans have refused, saying they haven’t come throughout any proof that Trump did something mistaken throughout his well-documented friendship with Epstein.
Comer has stated he has been in contact with the Justice Division about performing Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche coming in for questioning quickly.
Bondi, in her testimony, careworn that Blanche had overseen the chaotic launch of the federal Epstein information, which included the unintentional launch of sufferer data.
—By Joey Cappelletti, Related Press
