Overview
- Black voluntarily sat for a closed‑door interview Friday but declined to answer questions about NDAs tied to Epstein survivors, prompting Oversight Chair James Comer to subpoena him to produce any NDAs and to return for a videotaped deposition on July 16.
- In prepared remarks delivered to the committee, Black denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes, said he never paid for access to women, and repeated that his payments to Epstein were for tax and estate planning work documented in a 2021 Dechert review that found roughly $158 million in fees.
- Lawmakers and records released this year have flagged the size and structure of Black’s payments as unusual and suggested Epstein may have acted as a middleman or extorter, a concern voiced publicly by Sen. Ron Wyden and cited by committee investigators.
- Black previously paid $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2023 acknowledging Epstein used some funds to support operations on Little St. James, and he faces ongoing civil litigation though he has not been criminally charged.
- The committee expects to release the interview transcript soon and is pursuing documents and further depositions to determine whether NDAs or withheld records have concealed evidence or blocked survivor testimony, a step that could make confidential settlements public and trigger more legal fights over disclosure.