Latest / The Epstein Chronicles / James Comer Rejects Leon Black’s Bid to Narrow Epstein Inquiry (8/21/26)

Transcript

James Comer Rejects Leon Black’s Bid to Narrow Epstein Inquiry (8/21/26) · The Epstein Chronicles

• 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,
• 0:33
  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,
• 0:45
  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
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: this is one of those rare times when Congress actually
• 0:59
  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
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: think there's plenty here. I think there is plenty of
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: information when it comes to Leon Black in his relationship
• 1:20
  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
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: of financial malfeasons. Does anyone really think that these guys
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: were involved in all these cash transactions, all of this
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: purchasing of fine art and the rest of it, and
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: they were all on point when it comes to their
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: taxes when it comes to declaring what's what? Does anyone
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: really believe that? Look, in the best of times, these
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: people aren't being honest, never mind in the worst of times.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: So when I talk about going after Leon Black, I'm
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: talking about financially and then if anything else is there,
• 1:59
  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
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: we have an article from The Guardian and the headline
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Epstein client Leon Black threatened with contempt by House panel
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: chair And look, I just have no faith in James
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Comer and I just don't think he has the courage
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  Speaker 1: to do what he needs to do, and a lot
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: of that has to do with this fear of Donald Trump.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: We see how Donald Trump is dealt with people who
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: have stepped out of line when it comes to Epstein,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: and James Comer doesn't want to be the next casualty.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: This article was authored by Stephanie Kirch Gasner. The Republican
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: chairman of the House Oversight Committee has threatened the whole
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: private equity investor Leon Black in contempt if he does
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: not fully cooperate with the panels ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: amid accusations that the billionaire is purposely delaying and disrupting
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: the Panels in or. A letter released by Representative James
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Comer's office on Tuesday, which was addressed to Black's lawyer,
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: revealed new details about the high stage clash between the
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: powerful Kentucky congressman and Black, the co founder of Apollo
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Asset Management, who was Epstein's friend and former client and
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: paid Epstein tens of millions of dollars in fees. If
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: mister Black refuses to provide the committee with responsive documents
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: or refuses to appear for his scheduled deposition on September third,
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six. The Committee will use all tools at
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: its disposal, including contempt, Comer said, and look, I just
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: don't have any faith in it. I know I keep
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: saying that, but it's worth saying again. And I wish
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: there was some way that we could hold their feet
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: to the fire, but we can't. Right, It's not like
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: you're going to convince these Republicans on the committee to
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: do anything they don't want to do. And remember, everything
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: is shaded with the specter of Donald Trump hanging over them.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: They know that Donald Trump doesn't want more transparency. They
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: know that Donald Trump doesn't want more answers, so of
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: course they don't want any more answers either. Then, Susan Estrich,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Black's lawyer rejected Comer's assertions in a statement released on
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: Tuesday night, saying the letter was misrepresenting the facts and
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: that Black was being targeted in a political witch hunt.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Black voluntarily agreed to be questioned by the House Panel
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: in June as part of the committee's broad investigation into Epstein,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: which the panel has said includes an examination of the
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: alleged mismanagement of the federal government's investigation into the Late
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Sexual Predator, Well, we haven't seen any of that. We
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: don't even know the names of the agents that were involved.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: We have no idea. So how can you have accountability
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: if you have no idea who was involved? And I
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: think that's one of the biggest issues when it comes
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: to the redactions that we've seen in the Epstein files.
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  Speaker 1: How the fuck are we going to hold anybody accountable
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: if we don't know who was involved? And keep in mind,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: that's the plan, right If you can't have any names,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: you can't hold anyone responsible, and you can just blame
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: the system. But there's people that work within the system
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: that make the system move, and those are the people
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: that need to be held accountable. And what we're seeing
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: here with Leon Black is one of the main reasons
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: why I don't want them doing this on a voluntary basis.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: This needs to be done under subpoena and there needs
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: to be severe penalties for people that lie to Congress.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: But there never is. The operation of sex trafficking rings
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: and the ways in which Epstein and his companion Glenne
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Maxwell sought to curry favor to protect there are legal activities, well,
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  Speaker 1: it wasn't difficult, right. They found a bunch of fellow travelers,
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: people who wanted a little something, and those people were
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: all too willing to go along with the nonsense. And
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: if it wasn't for you demanding transparency and justice, these
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: sons of bitches would have lied about it until the
• 5:59
  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
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Black was refusing to answer questions about non disclosure agreements NDAs.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Comer in his capacity as committee chair, issued two subpoenas
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: on that day in response to Black's alleged lack of cooperation,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: one demanding that Black produce all non disclosure agreements to
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: which he is party and another demanding he appeared before
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: the committee for a deposition. And that's where the fight is.
• 6:32
  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
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: can fight that, but I don't think he can, especially
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: if Epstein had anything to do with any of them.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: The fight between the Congressional Overside Panel and Black is
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: now centered on the scope of the Oversight Committee's investigation.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: Black has so far handed over one NDA to the
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: Committee for review, and according to this week letter, As
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: indicated he's willing to provide one additional NDA. But wait,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: I thought that was impossible. I thought there were no
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: more that were relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Could it be
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: that Leon Black is telling lies? I would never, ever,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: ever suspect that is in Leon Black, the most truthful
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: man and the history of truthful men. But in return,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: according to Comer, Black's attorneys are seeking or promise that
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Black will not be held in contempt. They are also
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: seeking to change the planned deposition subpoena to a voluntary
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: transcribed interview. No enough with the voluntary bullshit Black's attorneys,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Comer said, we're also seeking to limit the scope of
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: questions about confidentiality agreements to the two NDAs he's willing
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  Speaker 1: to provide. Black's team was also seeking to delay the
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: interview from September to early October. At no point, as
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: mister Black sought a reasonable accommodation from the Committee, but
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: rather he has consistently sought to dictate to the Committee
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: the scope of its investigation. Comer wrote, so what are
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: you waiting for? Hit his ass with a subpoena and
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: let's get moving. Enough is enough. The problem is these
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: guys all know they can get away with whatever they want,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: and why do they feel so brazen because they've gotten
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: away with it for so long. One of the major
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: points of contention appears centered on the timing of NDAs
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: that Black may have entered. According to Comer's letter, Black
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: defended his decision to provide a single NDA because to
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: the extent any more such confidentiality agreements exist, they would
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: have been negotiated well after Epstein's death in twenty nineteen. Well,
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: that shouldn't matter. As long as it could involve Epstein,
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: it shouldn't matter at all. In response, Comer said that
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  Speaker 1: Black did not have the right to decide what documents
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: are responsive to a subpoena, and that any agreement signed
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: after Epstein's death could still involve Epstein's victims. Well, that's
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: a one hundred percent fact, and it's true. And as
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: much as I hate to agree with mister Comer, he's
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: definitely right here. Astrich Black's lawyers said mister Black provided
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: the committee with the only confidentiality agreement that predated Epstein's death,
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: and the only one of which Epstein was aware. She
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: added that Congress has no right to invade private lives
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: as part of a fishing expedition, especially where the parties
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: to a confidentiality agreement do not want their identities revealed
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: in a circus like atmosphere, and especially when Epstein had
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: nothing to do with any agreement. Boy, she has some nerve,
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: some nerve the private lives a fishing expedition. Really, here's
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: an idea, Why does near client tell the truth? That
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: might be a good place to start. According to a
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: report commission by Apollos several years ago, Epstein provided financial
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: services to Black between twenty twelve and twenty seventeen. After
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state prostitution charges in two
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: thousand and eight, including procuring a minor, Black became Epstein's
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: largest client, paying him a total of roughly one hundred
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: six tventy million in fees, according to an investigation by
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: the Senate Finance Committee's ranking member Ron Wyden. And there's
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: no doubt that without Leon Black, none of this really
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: ever happens. Leon Black was a driving force financially speaking.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: Black has described as work for Epstein as tax and
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: estate planning services. In his statement, before the Oversight Committee
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: in June, Black wrote, I did not know about this
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen. But Black acknowledged that he did know
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: about Epstein pleading guilty in two thousand and eight to
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: stay 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,
• 10:46
  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.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: The only reason that he's answering any questions now is
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: because he asked to. So the whole entire voluntary thing
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: that should be something that isn't even offered. And that's
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: because Leon Black had the chance to tell the truth
• 11:06
  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
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: terms that are set by Congress. That's what should happen.
• 11:17
  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
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: description box.