House panel probing Epstein asked Leon Black about birthday book, their friendship

Billionaire financier Leon Black's voluntary interrogation with the House Oversight Committee connected June 26 ended abruptly aft the sheet served him with subpoenas for copies of nondisclosure agreements and a second interview portion the archetypal interrogation was inactive underway, a transcript confirmed.

On Friday, the House Oversight Committee released the transcript of Black's interview, which lasted little than an hr earlier his attorneys ended the session. 

After the interview, Susan Estrich, an lawyer for Black, decried the subpoenas arsenic "a planned governmental stunt." 

The committee is seeking copies of immoderate nondisclosure agreements Black has signed. Emails antecedently released by the sheet amusement Epstein weighed in connected Black's idiosyncratic affairs. According to court records, Black had a six-year matter with a Russian exemplary named Guzel Ganieva. When Black was negotiating an NDA with her, Epstein offered him proposal successful an email written connected Sept. 21, 2015.

Black admitted to the sheet that helium told Epstein astir the matter and the woman's alleged "blackmail and extortion." After Ganieva signed the NDA, she unsuccessfully sued Black for rape and defamation, denying his claims of extortion. 

"Black has ne'er been 'extorted by Ms. Ganieva,' her lawyers wrote successful the lawsuit. 

Black denied Epstein was progressive successful negotiations and said Epstein was not alert of immoderate different NDAs that Black had signed. Black besides told the committee the presumption of the NDAs prevented him from speaking connected the grounds astir them without a subpoena. 

Black denied successful his opening connection that helium was progressive successful oregon had immoderate cognition of Epstein's alleged maltreatment of women, enactment with underage women oregon enactment trafficking, but for what helium learned from Epstein's 2008 plea woody for solicitation of prostitution from a minor. Black said helium ne'er paid Epstein for entree to women.

Black testified that helium was introduced to Epstein by a communal person successful the 1990s and continued to subordinate with him due to the fact that of the influential connections Epstein provided. According to Black, Epstein introduced him to galore high-profile figures, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and erstwhile Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

A 2021 study commissioned by Apollo Global Management, the steadfast Black founded, concluded that helium paid Epstein astir $158 cardinal for taxation and property readying services. The study recovered that the enactment was legitimate. In the interview, Black defended the payments but said that Epstein had misled him into believing the fees were tax-deductible, causing him to underestimate the full cost. 

He said helium initially believed helium would wage astir $95 cardinal but inactive suggested the higher magnitude was a bargain, estimating Epstein's proposal saved him betwixt $1 and $2 billion. In 2023 helium paid the U.S. Virgin Islands a $62.5 cardinal colony aft helium was sued implicit his fiscal enactment of Epstein.

Committee members besides questioned Black astir a poem helium wrote for a book compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell to commemorate Epstein's 50th birthday. The publication included letters, drawings and messages from dozens of Epstein's friends and concern associates, galore of which referenced his relationships with women. Black's publication included the lines, "Blond, red, oregon brunette dispersed retired geographically, with this nett of food Jeff's present the aged antheral and the sea."

Asked what helium meant, Black testified, "Because helium seemed to cognize women each implicit the world. He traveled. He was successful Paris. He was successful Santa Fe. He was successful his island. And helium enjoyed the institution of good-looking women, and helium was a bachelor."

Although Black referred to Epstein successful the publication arsenic his "best friend" and signed the note, "Love and kisses, Leon," helium denied that the 2 were arsenic adjacent arsenic the connection suggested. Black told the committee, "We were ne'er champion friends. Was I affable with him from the constituent of presumption of enjoying his Rolodex? Yes. Did I deliberation helium was precise astute arsenic a nonrecreational adviser? Yes."

Epstein had been appointed by Black to the committee of directors of his family's instauration successful 1997, but Black told the committee that helium removed him from that relation aft Epstein's apprehension and condemnation successful 2008. Prior to that, helium said that helium saw Epstein astir erstwhile each 3 to 4 weeks and regularly attended gatherings astatine Epstein's townhouse. However, it wasn't until 2018 that Black and Epstein wholly broke ties, which Black attributed to Epstein's "relentless pursuit of much and much wealth from maine for nonrecreational services, his mistruths and misrepresentations" arsenic good arsenic "his nonaccomplishment to repay astir of a $30 cardinal loan."    

Black is scheduled to instrumentality earlier the committee nether subpoena successful September.