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James Comer Rejects Leon Black’s Bid to Narrow Epstein Inquiry · The Vault: The Epstein Files

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up everyone and welcome to another episode of the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to talk a
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: little bit more about Leon Black and the contempt threat
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: that's been leveled by James Comer. And I can't express
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: how important it is to make sure that Leon Black
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: gets put on the record. This is a man that
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: knows a lot more than he has ever let on.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: And the fact that he's been playing games for all
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: these years is just a gigantic tell. Imagine saying that
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: you don't have any idea what Epstein was up to,
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  Speaker 1: that you have no idea that he was involved in
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: human trafficking, and then to have these emails come out,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: to have this information come out, and have it absolutely
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: blow your narrative out of the water, and instead of,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: you know, having some humility and admitting you're a liar,
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: you just double down on the process. And that's exactly
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: what Leon Black has done time and time again. And
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: this is one of those rare times when Congress actually
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  Speaker 1: has a chance to do something good. Now, does that
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: mean I think they're going to? I don't, especially considering
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: how powerful Leon Black is. It's going to be very
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: difficult for them to really do the right thing when
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: it comes to Leon Black, but they should. And I
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  Speaker 1: think there's plenty here. I think there is plenty of
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  Speaker 1: information when it comes to Leon Black and his relationship
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  Speaker 1: with Epstein to initiate an investigation to see just how
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: deep those ties went. And if there was any kind
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  Speaker 1: of financial malfeasance, does anyone really think that these guys
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: were involved in all these cash transactions, all of this
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  Speaker 1: purchasing of fine art, and the rest of it, and
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  Speaker 1: they were all on point when it comes to their taxes,
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to declaring what's what. Does anyone really
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  Speaker 1: believe that? Look, in the best of times, these people
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: aren't being honest. Never mind in the worst of times.
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  Speaker 1: So when I talk about going after Leon Black, I'm
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  Speaker 1: talking about financially. And then if anything else is there,
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  Speaker 1: It'll fall into place. But first things first, we should
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: be doing a gigantic dive into this man's finances. I'm
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: talking forensic accountants and the whole damn thing. So today,
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  Speaker 1: we have an article from The Guardian and the headline,
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  Speaker 1: Epstein client Leon Black threatened with contempt by House panel chair.
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  Speaker 1: And look, I just have no faith in James Comer.
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  Speaker 1: And I just don't think he has the courage to
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  Speaker 1: do what he needs to do. And a lot of
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: that has to do with this fear of Donald Trump.
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  Speaker 1: We see how Donald Trump has dealt with people who
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  Speaker 1: have stepped out of line when it comes to Epstein.
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  Speaker 1: And James Comer doesn't want to be the next casualty.
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  Speaker 1: This article was authored by Stephanie Kirchgastner. The Republican chairman
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: of the House Oversight Committee has threatened to hold private
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  Speaker 1: equity investor Leon Black in contempt if he does not
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  Speaker 1: fully cooperate with the panel's ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein,
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  Speaker 1: amid accusations that the billionaire is purposely delaying and disrupting
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  Speaker 1: The panel's inquiry. A letter released by Representative James Comer's
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: office on Tuesday, which was addressed to Black's lawyer, revealed
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  Speaker 1: new details about the high-stakes clash between the powerful Kentucky
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  Speaker 1: congressman and Black, the co-founder of Apollo Asset Management, who
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  Speaker 1: was Epstein's friend and former client, and paid Epstein tens
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: of millions of dollars in fees. If Mr. Black refuses
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  Speaker 1: to provide the committee with responsive documents or refuses to
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  Speaker 1: appear for his scheduled deposition, On September 3rd, 2026, the
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  Speaker 1: committee will use all tools at its disposal, including contempt,
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  Speaker 1: Comer said. And look, I just don't have any faith
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  Speaker 1: in it. I know I keep saying that, but it's
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  Speaker 1: worth saying again. And I wish there was some way
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  Speaker 1: that we could hold our feet to the fire, but
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  Speaker 1: we can't, right? It's not like you're going to convince
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  Speaker 1: these Republicans on the committee to do anything they don't
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  Speaker 1: want to do. And remember, everything is shaded with with
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  Speaker 1: the specter of Donald Trump hanging over them. They know
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  Speaker 1: that Donald Trump doesn't want more transparency. They know that
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  Speaker 1: Donald Trump doesn't want more answers. So, of course, they
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: don't want any more answers either then. Susan Estrich, Black's lawyer,
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  Speaker 1: rejected Comer's assertions in a statement released on Tuesday night,
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  Speaker 1: saying the letter was misrepresenting the facts and that Black
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  Speaker 1: was being targeted in a political witch hunt. Black voluntarily
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  Speaker 1: agreed to be questioned by the House panel in June
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  Speaker 1: as part of the committee's broad investigation into Epstein, which
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  Speaker 1: the panelist said includes an examination of the alleged mismanagement
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: of the federal government's investigation into the late sexual predator. Well,
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  Speaker 1: we haven't seen any of that. We don't even know
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  Speaker 1: the names of the agents that were involved. We have
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  Speaker 1: no idea. So how can you have accountability if you
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  Speaker 1: have no idea who was involved? And I think that's
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: one of the biggest issues when it comes to the
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  Speaker 1: redactions that we've seen in the Epstein files. How the
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  Speaker 1: fuck are we going to hold anybody accountable if we
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  Speaker 1: don't know who was involved? And keep in mind, that's
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: the plan, right? If you can't have any names, you
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  Speaker 1: can't hold anyone responsible and you can just blame the system.
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  Speaker 1: But there's people that work within the system that make
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  Speaker 1: the system move. And those are the people that need
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: to be held accountable. And what we're seeing here with
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  Speaker 1: Leon Black is one of the main reasons why I
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: don't want them doing this on a voluntary basis. This
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  Speaker 1: needs to be done under subpoena, and there needs to
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: be severe penalties for people that lie to Congress. But
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  Speaker 1: there never is. The operation of sex trafficking rings, and
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: the ways in which Epstein and his companion, Glenn Maxwell,
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  Speaker 1: sought to curry favor to protect their illegal activities. Well,
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  Speaker 1: it wasn't difficult, right? They found a bunch of fellow travelers,
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  Speaker 1: people who wanted a little something, and those people were
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  Speaker 1: all too willing to go along with the nonsense, and
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  Speaker 1: if it wasn't for you demanding transparency and justice, these
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  Speaker 1: sons of bitches would have lied about it until the
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  Speaker 1: end of time. But Black's appearance ended abruptly after just
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: one hour of questioning, after members of both parties said
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  Speaker 1: Black was refusing to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements and DAs. Comer,
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  Speaker 1: in his capacity as committee chair, issued two subpoenas on
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  Speaker 1: that day, in response to Black's alleged lack of cooperation.
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  Speaker 1: One demanding that Black produce all non-disclosure agreements to which
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  Speaker 1: he is party, and another demanding he appear before the
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: committee for a deposition. And that's where the fight is.
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  Speaker 1: Leon Black doesn't want to turn over these NDAs. He
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: doesn't want to out himself, and he feels like he
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  Speaker 1: can fight that. But I don't think he can, especially
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  Speaker 1: if Epstein had anything to do with any of them.
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  Speaker 1: The fight between the Congressional Oversight Panel and Black is
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  Speaker 1: now centered on the scope of the Oversight Committee's investigation.
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  Speaker 1: Black has so far handed over one NDA to the
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  Speaker 1: committee for review, and according to this week's letter, has
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  Speaker 1: indicated he's willing to provide one additional NDA. But wait,
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  Speaker 1: I thought that wasn't possible. I thought there were no
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  Speaker 1: more that were relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Could it be
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  Speaker 1: that Leon Black is telling lies? I would never, ever,
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  Speaker 1: ever suspect that. Isn't Leon Black the most truthful man
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  Speaker 1: in the history of truthful men? But in return, according
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: to Comer, Black's attorneys are seeking a promise that Black
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  Speaker 1: will not be held in contempt. They are also seeking
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  Speaker 1: to change the planned deposition subpoena to a voluntary transcribed interview. No,
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  Speaker 1: enough with the voluntary bullshit. Black's attorneys, Comer said, were
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  Speaker 1: also seeking to limit the scope of questions about confidentiality
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  Speaker 1: agreements to the two NDAs he's willing to provide. Black's
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  Speaker 1: team was also seeking to delay the interview from September
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  Speaker 1: to early October. At no point has Mr. Black sought
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  Speaker 1: a reasonable accommodation from the committee, but rather he has
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  Speaker 1: consistently sought to dictate to the committee the scope of
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  Speaker 1: its investigation, Comer wrote. So what are you waiting for?
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  Speaker 1: Hit his ass with a subpoena and let's get moving.
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  Speaker 1: Enough is enough. The problem is these guys all know
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  Speaker 1: they can get away with whatever they want. And why
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  Speaker 1: do they feel so brazen? because they've gotten away with
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  Speaker 1: it for so long. One of the major points of
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  Speaker 1: contention appears centered on the timing of NDAs that Black
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  Speaker 1: may have entered. According to Comer's letter, Black defended his
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  Speaker 1: decision to provide a singled NDA because to the extent
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  Speaker 1: any more such confidentiality agreements exist, they would have been
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  Speaker 1: negotiated well after Epstein's death in 2019. Well, that shouldn't matter.
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  Speaker 1: As long as it could involve Epstein, it shouldn't matter
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  Speaker 1: at all. In response, Comer said that Black did not
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  Speaker 1: have the right to decide what documents are responsive to
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  Speaker 1: his subpoena. And that any agreement signed after Epstein's death
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  Speaker 1: could still involve Epstein's victims? Well, that's a 100% fact,
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  Speaker 1: and it's true. And as much as I hate to
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  Speaker 1: agree with Mr. Comer, he's definitely right here. Estrich, Black's lawyer,
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  Speaker 1: said Mr. Black provided the committee with the only confidentiality
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  Speaker 1: agreement that predated Epstein's death, and the only one of
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  Speaker 1: which Epstein was aware. She added that Congress has no
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  Speaker 1: right to invade private lives as part of a fishing expedition,
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  Speaker 1: especially where the parties, to a confidentiality agreement, do not
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  Speaker 1: want their identities revealed in a circus-like atmosphere, and especially
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  Speaker 1: when Epstein had nothing to do with any agreement. Boy,
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  Speaker 1: she has some nerve. Some nerve. The private lives? A
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  Speaker 1: fishing expedition, really? Here's an idea. Why doesn't your client
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  Speaker 1: tell the truth? That might be a good place to start.
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  Speaker 1: According to a report commissioned by Apollo several years ago,
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  Speaker 1: Epstein provided financial services to Black between 2012 and 2017.
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  Speaker 1: After Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state prostitution charges in 2008,
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  Speaker 1: including procuring a minor, Black became Epstein's largest client, paying
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  Speaker 1: him a total of roughly $ 175, 000. million in fees, according
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: to an investigation by the Senate Finance Committee's ranking member,
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  Speaker 1: Ron Wyden. And there's no doubt that without Leon Black,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: none of this really ever happens. Leon Black was a
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: driving force, financially speaking. Black has described his work for
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Epstein as tax and estate planning services. In a statement
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: before the oversight committee in June, Black wrote, I did
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  Speaker 1: not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: with trafficking in July of 2019. But Black acknowledged that
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: he did know about Epstein pleading guilty in 2008 to
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: state charges relating to prostitution involving a minor. And look,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: in my opinion, he knew about all of it. He
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: knew what Epstein was. He knew exactly the kind of animal,
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  Speaker 1: the kind of monster that Jeffrey Epstein was. He just
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: didn't care. And the truth is, he still doesn't care.
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  Speaker 1: The only reason that he's answering any questions now is
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  Speaker 1: because he has to. So the whole entire voluntary thing,
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: that should be something that isn't even offered. And that's
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  Speaker 1: because Leon Black had the chance to tell the truth
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  Speaker 1: on his own terms. And he chose not to. Now,
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  Speaker 1: he should be forced to tell the truth on whatever
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  Speaker 1: terms that are set by Congress. That's what should happen.
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  Speaker 1: Will it happen? Well, that's the question. All the information
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: that goes with this episode can be found in the
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  Speaker 1: description box.