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House Holds Collector Leon Black in Contempt Over Epstein-Probe Subpoenas

Hoi-Ling MakPublished 3d ago2 min readBased on 9 sources
House Holds Collector Leon Black in Contempt Over Epstein-Probe Subpoenas
Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America / CC BY 2.0

The U.S. House of Representatives in Washington voted unanimously on 16 September 2026 to hold billionaire art collector Leon Black in criminal contempt of Congress.

Criminal contempt of Congress, the charge used when a witness refuses a lawful order from the legislature, was applied after Black defied two subpoenas. The orders came from the House Oversight Committee, the panel that examines the operations of the federal government. The case is part of a congressional investigation connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, PBS reported.

A subpoena, a legally binding order to give testimony or documents, carries a penalty for non-compliance. The committee said Black defied two such orders. Its leaders, from both parties, backed action against him for that refusal, according to a committee release.

The process moved in two steps. On 15 September, the Oversight Committee voted to recommend a contempt finding. That vote was unanimous, and it sent the matter to the full House.

The full House then finalised the finding on 16 September. That vote was also unanimous, The New York Times reported. Reuters reported the same result and date.

Committee Chair James Comer announced the earlier stage through a markup, a formal session where members approve a measure. He publicised the plan in a press release on 11 September, with the markup notice following on 12 September. After the committee vote, the Oversight Committee publicised a statement saying Republicans and Democrats had acted together to hold Black in contempt for defying lawful subpoenas.

After the House vote, Comer issued a further statement on Black being found in contempt, the committee said. Ranking Member Robert Garcia, the committee's senior Democrat, also issued a statement after the vote, according to the Democrats' committee office.

No further action was announced in the verified releases. The finding records the House's position that the two subpoenas were lawful and were not obeyed.

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