House panel probing Epstein asked Leon Black about birthday book, their friendship
Billionaire Leon Black, who paid Epstein $158 million for tax advice, was subpoenaed for a second interview with the House Oversight Committee in September.
Updated on: July 17, 2026 / 7:38 PM EDT / CBS News
Billionaire financier Leon Black's voluntary interview with the House Oversight Committee on June 26 ended abruptly after the panel served him with subpoenas for copies of nondisclosure agreements and a second interview while the first interview was still underway, a transcript confirmed.
On Friday, the House Oversight Committee released the transcript of Black's interview, which lasted less than an hour before his attorneys ended the session.
After the interview, Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, decried the subpoenas as "a planned political stunt."
The committee is seeking copies of some nondisclosure agreements Black has signed. Emails previously released by the panel show Epstein weighed in on Black's personal affairs. According to court records , Black had a six-year affair with a Russian model named Guzel Ganieva. When Black was negotiating an NDA with her, Epstein offered him advice in an email written on Sept. 21, 2015.
Black admitted to the panel that he told Epstein about the affair 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.