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Billionaire Leon Black claimed he socialized with Jeffrey Epstein because of his many high-powered connections\u2014including Elon Musk\u2014but never considered him a friend, according to a transcript released Friday of the billionaire\u2019s interview<\/a> with the House Oversight Committee, despite once signing a birthday card to him \u201cLove and Kisses.\u201d<\/p>\n Leon Black arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on June 26.<\/p>\n Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n Black sat down for a voluntary transcribed interview<\/a> with House Oversight in June as part of the committee\u2019s investigation into Epstein, as Black was one of the late financier\u2019s longtime financial clients and has been reported as one of Epstein\u2019s close associates.<\/p>\n Black denied<\/a> any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein\u2019s alleged abuse, including multiple allegations women have made against Black in connection with Epstein, telling lawmakers, \u201cI was not involved with and had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s heinous conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n The billionaire testified he met Epstein through a mutual friend in the mid-1990s, and he would regularly see the financier because he \u201cenjoyed taking advantage of all the network of interesting people he knew,\u201d recounting how Epstein would regularly invite him to meet the other high-profile people in his orbit.<\/p>\n Musk was among those that Epstein introduced Black to, he told lawmakers without elaborating, also saying Epstein had introduced him to Bill Gates and Deepak Chopra.<\/p>\n Black refused to characterize Epstein as his \u201cfriend,\u201d even when the committee\u2019s lawyer noted he signed a birthday letter to Epstein by calling him a \u201cdear friend\u201d and writing, \u201cLove and Kisses, Leon.\u201d <\/p>\n Black and his attorneys abruptly left the interview and slammed the hearing as a \u201cpolitical stunt\u201d after the committee served him with a subpoena for his non-disclosure agreements with women who had accused him of sexual misconduct, because Black had largely refused to discuss details of any NDAs with the committee beyond some details that had already been made public.<\/p>\n What to Watch for<\/p>\n Black is legally required to turn over his NDAs to the House Oversight Committee by next week, the committee confirmed Friday. He will also sit for another interview with the committee on Sept. 3, after an initial July date for the testimony got postponed. While his June interview was voluntary, meaning he wasn\u2019t under any legal obligation to answer questions, this one will be under subpoena and thus have stricter rules.<\/p>\n Forbes Valuation<\/p>\n Forbes values Black\u2019s net worth<\/a> at $13 billion as of Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n Surprising Fact<\/p>\n Black insisted he was not friends with Epstein despite his comments in the birthday book, telling lawmakers, \u201cI didn’t consider him my best friend or a dear friend,\u201d though he admitted being \u201cfriendly with him in terms of the amount of time I went over and met people at his townhouse.\u201d The committee\u2019s attorney asked, \u201cSo do you sign birthday letters to all of your business associates with love and kisses, dear friend?\u201d to which Black responded, \u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Black\u2019s Interview Goes Off The Rails<\/p>\n Black\u2019s interview got testy shortly after it began, the transcript shows, as House attorneys asked Black about an NDA with a woman he admitted to having a consensual extramarital affair with. \u201cWe’re not going to get into NDAs,\u201d Black\u2019s attorney Susan Estrich told the committee, leading to a back-and-forth over whether Black was allowed to discuss even the existence of his NDAs with Congress voluntarily under the terms of his agreements. After a brief break, Black and his attorneys said they would discuss NDAs only regarding three women who have publicly sued Black\u2014but the conversation again turned argumentative after Black said he was \u201cnot sure I’m going to talk about an NDA\u201d with one of the women. \u201cMr. Black, you stated just a moment ago that you would be willing to talk about the NDAs,\u201d Daniel Ashworth, the committee\u2019s general counsel said. \u201cNow you’re stating that you are not going to talk about the substance of those NDAs.\u201d Ashworth went on to say Black\u2019s refusal to talk about the agreements was \u201cbizarre\u201d and \u201craises questions as to the completeness of his testimony.\u201d Black testified Epstein was not involved with crafting any NDAs, and, after more back and forth over whether Black could discuss the agreements, Ashworth served Black with subpoenas for his NDAs and for testimony. <\/p>\n Black Leaves The Hearing<\/p>\n After a short break following being subpoenaed, Black\u2019s attorney Aaron Cutler read a statement calling the hearing a \u201cplanned political stunt,\u201d arguing the billionaire\u2019s \u201cgood faith was met with premeditated political misdirection by the committee which served Mr. Black with subpoenas in an unprecedented manner after less than an hour of questioning.\u201d Black and his counsel then left the room. After statements from Ashworth and an attorney for the committee\u2019s Democratic members, who denounced Black\u2019s statement and made clear he had not communicated previously he was unwilling to discuss the NDAs, the hearing ended.<\/p>\n Black Claims Birthday Letter About Women Was Just A \u2018Bad Poem\u2019<\/p>\n Before the interview took a turn, Black was asked about his letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday, which consisted of what Black described as a \u201cbad poem\u201d about the financier. The poem referenced women, with Black writing, \u201cBy Birds and by Bucks, Cs and Ms are his key? \/ Blond, red, or brunette spread out geographically.\u201d The billionaire said his language was referring to the fact Epstein \u201cliked money and he liked women,\u201d describing him as a \u201cconfirmed bachelor\u201d who \u201cliked women, whether they were blond, redheaded, or brunettes.\u201d Black denied he was referring to any women specifically but said Epstein \u201cseemed to know women all over the world\u201d and \u201cenjoyed the company of good women,\u201d noting \u201chis staff were mostly good-looking women, and his pilot was a 6-foot 4 blond.\u201d That pilot\u2019s name is redacted in the transcript, but may refer to Nadia Marcinko<\/a>, Epstein\u2019s former girlfriend who also served as an assistant pilot for his private plane. Black said she appeared to be over the age of 18, and denied any knowledge of the pilot allegedly being trafficked to Epstein when she was underage. <\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Black is known to have been one of Epstein\u2019s main financial clients, with an investigation showing he paid Epstein some $170 million for estate and tax planning. The billionaire stepped down from his position leading Apollo Capital Management, which he cofounded, in 2021 over his ties to Epstein, though he has long denied any wrongdoing involving the financier. Apollo also commissioned an independent investigation into Black\u2019s ties to Epstein, which did not reveal any impropriety. Black has also faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse from women tied to Epstein, which he has strongly denied. Only one of the three lawsuits brought against him is still pending, after the others were dismissed or dropped, and a court sanctioned<\/a> an attorney behind the lawsuits in April, arguing she \u201crepeatedly lied to the Court and to opposing counsel in this litigation\u201d about related litigation. The billionaire also paid<\/a> the U.S. Virgin Islands $62.5 million in 2023 to avoid litigation arising from its investigation into Epstein, and narrowly avoided being deposed about Epstein earlier this year, after Epstein accusers settled<\/a> a lawsuit with Bank of America about the institution\u2019s alleged financial support to the late financier.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n