Epstein survivors urge billionaire Leon Black to cooperate with House panel

More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have called on the billionaire Leon Black to appear before the House oversight committee in order to clarify his connections to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.In a letter released on Wednesday, the survivors urged Black to comply with congressional subpoenas ahead of Thursday’s deposition before the House oversight committee.“We are survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse and exploitation, and we are calling on Leon Black to appear as required before the House oversight committee on Thursday,” the statement said. “We are also calling on Black to fully comply with the committee’s subpoenas, including its demand that he produce all responsive nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in his possession.”Black, the New York private equity investor, paid Epstein tens of millions of dollars in fees during work he has described as tax and estate-planning services. He has already faced accusations of purposely delaying and disrupting the panel’s inquiry.The letter further stated that “Black’s use of NDAs underscores why Congress must scrutinize the agreements in his possession and determine whether they shed light on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and others in Epstein’s orbit”.“If Black continues to withhold responsive records or refuses to comply with the committee’s demands, Congress should use every tool available to enforce its subpoenas.”Last week, the Republican chairman of the House oversight committee, James Comer, threatened to hold Black in contempt if he fails to fully cooperate with the panel’s investigation into Epstein.Black had not yet confirmed his appearance before the committee as of Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter had told the Guardian.In a previous statement before the oversight committee in June, Black denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, writing: “I did not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019.”However, Black acknowledged that he was aware that Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 “to state charges relating to prostitution involving a minor”.In a speech from the House floor this week, Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who recently lost his primary to a challenger backed by Donald Trump, read aloud the names of several friends and associates of Epstein, including Black.Massie called on the Department of Justice to investigate the group of men and women whom the representative referred to as “perpetrators” of Epstein’s crimes.Massie also emphasized that despite the fact it has been nearly a year since Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, millions of the Epstein files remain unreleased.