Latest / The Vault: The Epstein Files / Leon Black And His Epstein Related Congressional Transcript (Part 4) (7/20/26)

Transcript

Leon Black And His Epstein Related Congressional Transcript (Part 4) (7/20/26) · The Vault: The Epstein Files

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to pick up
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: where we left off with Leon Black and his interview
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: with Congress mister Ashworth. Okay, thank you, Miss Estrich, Thank you, Brignac.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: I understand this confidentiality to have already been broken because
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: there's public reporting on this NDA. So I'm going to
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: ask you, mister Black, did you ever ask redacted to
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: sign a non disclosure agreement? Mister Black, I think I'd
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: like to chat with my counsel for five minutes, Miss Estridge.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Could we take a short break, Miss Brignac, Up, we
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: can go off record, Miss Brignac, we can go back
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: on record, mister Grant, mister Black, before you continue, there
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: have been some additional members of Congress and staff that
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: have joined us since the beginning of the interview. Will
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: they please announce themselves for the record, Jassiman and sorry,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: James Walkinshaw redacted. Comm's Director, Ranking Member Robert Garcia redacted,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: In turn, Ranking Member Garcia redacted, Deputy Chief Counsel, mister Grant,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Thank you, all Black. If I could, I will like
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: to go back and respond to your last question, Miss
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Brignac question. Yes, thank you, and I'm going to repeat
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: the question so the record's clear. Did you ever ask
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: redacted to sign a non disclosure agreement? Answer? Yeah, when
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: I said I wanted to come back, I came here
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: voluntarily to be cooperative with the committee, and to the
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: extent I'm able to do that, I will so. On
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: the three women that were the subject the lawsuits filed
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: by the Whigdor firm, one of which was redacted, I'm
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: happy to respond to you relating to those three women.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: So to answer your question, Redacted, who I had an
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: on and off again consensual adult affair with for six years,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: left the country. I think she had some visa issues
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: after she finished her studies at Columbia University, and she
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: was abroad for a year, and then she came back.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: And she came back and all of a sudden claimed
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: that I had ruined her life, never claimed I had
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: abused her, and that she had to have one hundred
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: million dollars paid to her. And we spent a summer
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: meeting probably seven or eight times. She came back in
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: June and said that, and we spent the summer, and
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: I spent about seven or eight meetings and worked out
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: of settlement agreement which resulted in an NDA and pursuing
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: too that NDA, which was signed in twenty fifteen. You
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: agreed on one hundred thousand dollars per month four or
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: fifteen years, one million in loan forgiveness, and two million
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: in British pounds for UK visa. Does all of that
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: sound correct? Answer? That sounds correct. Question was mister Epstein
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: involved in the negotiations on these terms? Answer? He was
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: not involved in the negotiation. He was somebody that I
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: told I was being blackmailed and extorted to as well
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: as to my lawyers at Paul Weiss. Question twenty one
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: point seven million seems like an awful lot for an
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: extramarital affair. What precisely was it you did not wish
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: her to disclose? Answer that we were having an affair.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: I had a wife and children and was the chair
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: of a public company. I agree with you, it was
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: a lot of money. It was a lot less than
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: one hundred million that she started with, and I viewed
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: it as total blackmail, an extortion, but didn't want it
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: to be public, so he negotiated a settlement. Question and
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: you saw mister Epstein's advice in navigating this NDA. Answer.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: I don't think how much he advised me. I don't
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: need somebody to advise me on how to negotiate. But
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: I did talk to him about being extorted. I mean
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: he was handling my estate. One hundred million would have
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: had an effect on the estate, and so he was
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: aware of it, as was Paul Weiss. Question did mister
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: Epstein have experienced navigating NDAs that caused you to speak
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: with him about this? Answer? I don't know whether he
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: had experience on NDAs. He was not my NDA advisor.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Question and can you list the two other women that
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: you had NDAs with that you mentioned that you would
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: speak about. Answer Well, one was a woman named or dacted,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: and the other is someone I'm happy to talk about,
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: but there's no NDA involved. I think her name is
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: still confidential and sealed. But all three of these women
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: were clients of a firm called Wigdor, who disgracefully brought
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: charge that were totally fabricated in bogus against me. Question
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: what are the terms of the NDA with redacted? Answer? Again,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: I'm happy to talk about the firm or the woman.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: This is a woman I never met. Question what were
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: the terms of the NDA? Answer again, I'm not sure
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: I'm going to talk about an NDA, but I'm going
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: to say that I never met her, mister Ashworth. Mister Black,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: you just stated a moment ago that you would be
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: willing to talk about the NDAs, these NDAs related to
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: these cases. Now you're stating he gets cut off by
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Leon Black. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. Ashworth.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Now you're stating that you're not going to talk about
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: the substance of those NDAs. I would like some clarity
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: with regards to your position with regards to NDA's both
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: these specific these two as well as any other NDAs
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: that may be relevant to the committee's investigation. Black. Yeah,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: what I may I may have misspoke. What I meant
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: to say is I was willing to talk about these
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: three women and those three cases, not so much about
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: the NDAs, which was on the advice my council to that.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: Susan Estrich, the lawyer, jumps in, mister Black is simply
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: not at liberty to talk about confidential terms and agreements
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: where he was if he was or has an agreement
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: that has confidential terms in it, Mister Ashworth, it seems
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: bizarre that he could talk about these women and the
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: potential cases against them. That it's at least our understanding
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: from what he's articulated and from what you've articulated, that
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: those are specifically related to these NDAs, and so yet
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: he can talk about the NDAs or the substance of
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: these NDAs, but he can talk about the women. It
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: certainly indicates and raises questions as to the completeness of
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: his testimony with regards to not only these women, but
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: these cases as it relates to the committee's investigation. Miss Estrich,
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: We're doing our best. We're trying to do our best,
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Miss Brignac. Question, and the Committee's aware of mister Epstein's
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: involvement in assisting with NDAs for mister Black, so it's
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: critical that we receive answers on NDAs. So, what were
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: the terms of the NDAs with redacted? Answer? Mister Epstein
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: had no involvement with anything to do with redacted question.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: That wasn't my question. Answer, no, but it is. You
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: just said that Epstein was involved with the NDA. He
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: was not. Question You don't know that for certain. Answer.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: I do know I never talked to him about redacted Estridge.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: We know for certain that he was not involved with
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: redacted mister Black. Correct, Miss Brignac, Mister Black, what were
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: the terms of the NDA with redacted? Mister Black? Again,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: on advice of counsel, Miss Estrich, I can't answer Black
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: to talk about confidential NDAs, but you should be aware
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: that those first two cases were withdrawn or dismissed with prejudice,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: and that they were totally fabricated. And I never met
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: redacted Brignac. Question. You've also mentioned in a statement to
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: the press that the nda is between men and women
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: with prior relationships are very common occurrences among your social circles.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: Can you elaborate on that answer? I said that question yes,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: in a twenty twenty four interview with Puck Leon Black
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: back from the Ashes. Are NDA's very common occurrences among
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: your social circles? Answer? Do know of many men who
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: have signed NDAs? Yes? I do, and I think there
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: are many men and women who have had their affairs
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: and NDAs were arranged and they were meant to keep
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: confidential by both sides, the desire of both sides. And yeah, question,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: how many NDAs are you a party to? Miss Estrich again,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: that's a question that if there are any NDAs, we
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: can't answer because the terms of any NDA would include
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: confidentiality as to the very existence of an agreement. So
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: I have to instruct my client that he can answer
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: those questions consistent with his obligations. Miss Brignac noted, are
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: you refusing to answer the question how many NDAs are you?
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: Party two? Answer? On the advice of my counsel, I'm
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: not going to answer that question. Question how many NDAs
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: was mister Epstein party two? Answer? The only one that
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: I can think of he was aware of. If there
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: were any others was redacted to my knowledge? Question mister
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Epstein never told you he had an NDA with anyone else.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: Miss Estrich, let me clarify. Did you ask questions how
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: many NDAs did mister Epstein have or did mister Epstein
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: know about mister Black's NDAs? Miss Brygnac, question, how many
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: NDAs was mister Epstein Party two? Answer? I have no idea.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: How would I know that question if he told you
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: if you saw them? Answer? No, he never told me that.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: I have no idea. Question. You confirm that NDAs are
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: very common occurrences among your social circles. Who has NDAs
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: that you're aware of? Answer, I'm not here to talk
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: about NDAs. Question Are you refusing to answer the question?
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Answer I'm refusing to answer that question obviously. Question are
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: you aware of any other NDAs with women who are
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: affiliated with mister Epstein? Answer no, Mister Ashworth, mister Black,
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: thank you again for appearing here today. My name is
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: Daniel Ashworth. I'm the General Council for the Committee. I'm
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: serving right now to subpoenas to you. One for documents
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: all NDAs for which you are a party of, of
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: which relate to Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell that you
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: may have in your possession, and the second is for
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: a deposition on July sixteenth. I'm serving these to you now.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: We will additionally provide electronic versions to your council immediately
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: following this, Miss Estrich, We're happy to discuss this with
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: you at the conclusion of this hearing today. Mister Cutler,
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: why don't we take a break now. We agreed to
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: come here voluntarily today. We've had many discussions with you
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: and that's the terms of our sitting here with you,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: and so we're going to take a break now. Okay,
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: mister Ashworth understood, will go off record. Ashworth understood, mister
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Black as attorneys have a statement they would like to make.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: Mister Cutler, yes, thank you. I'm deeply disappointed in the
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: lack of professionalism displayed by the committee today. We engage
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: for months with the committee's majority staff in an effort
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: to facilitate affair voluntary transcribed interview. Unfortunately, that good faith
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: was met with premeditated political misdirection by the committee, which
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: served mister Black with subpoenas in an unprecedented manner after
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: less than an hour of questioning, and before they even
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: asked a single question about his payments to Epstein. Mister
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: Black came here voluntarily to assist the committee. This was
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: nothing more than a planned political stunt. Mister Epstein had
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Let me reiterate, the committee did not ask a single
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: question about the legitimate payments to mister Epstein for a
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: professional services on tax and estate matters. I want to
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: be clear, as mister Black said in his opening statement,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: he never abused a woman. He was never with an
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: underage girl, He never engaged in sex trafficking, he never
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: paid Epstein for access to women. He was never blackmailed
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: by Epstein. Mister Black had no knowledge of Epstein's heinous conduct.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Thank you, mister Ashworth for the record. Council did not
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: engage with the committee or indicate to the Committee or
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: provide any indication that mister Black would not testify or
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: answer any questions related to non disclosure agreements. Furthermore, for
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: the first time, on Monday, Council for mister Black stated
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: to the Committee that he may not answer questions related
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: to personal relationships. During that meeting, Committee Council indicated that
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: there would be no limitations on scope for the interview. Furthermore,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Committee Council has consistently indicated to mister Black's council that
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: there would be no time or scope limitations on the interview.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: Majority staff question is finished. I understand the minority would
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: like to make a statement redacted. Thank you redacted. Senior
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Council for Ranking Member Robert Garcia, I have two statements
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: for the record. First, Ranking Member Garcia, Representative Conna, and
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: Representative Walkinshaw were all present during the last round, but
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: did not have the opportunity to introduce themselves. Second, the
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Minority has serious questions from mister Black about his knowledge
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: and involvement in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operation. Specifically, Democrats
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: had questions about the vast amount of money mister Black
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: paid Epstein and about the allegations of sexual abuse against
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: mister Black. Mister Black has shown himself unwilling to answer
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: the committee's questions voluntarily, and we strongly support Chairman Comerce
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: subpoenas mister Ashworth with that. We'll go off the record,
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: all right. So that's what we have when it comes
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: to Leon Black in the transcript, and they're going to
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: be picking this conversation up under subpoena the next time around,
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: and like usual, when we have some information, we'll get
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: it added to the catalog. All the information that goes
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: with this episode can be found in the description box.