The US House Oversight Committee issued two subpoenas to billionaire investor Leon Black on Friday, compelling him to produce non-disclosure agreements and to testify under oath on 16 July, after he refused to answer questions about settlements with women linked to Jeffrey Epstein during a voluntary interview. Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, walked out of the closed-door session less than an hour into questioning, a move that lawmakers from both parties described as unprecedented in the panel’s ongoing inquiry into the late sex offender’s network.

Committee chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, told reporters that the NDAs were “critical to our investigation” and that the panel sought to determine whether Epstein had been involved in drafting or funding the agreements. The committee’s ranking Democrat, Robert Garcia of California, backed the subpoenas, stating that the agreements were “central to us understanding what actually happened.” Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, dismissed the move as “a planned political stunt” and insisted that Epstein “had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not.” In his prepared opening statement, Black said he had paid Epstein $158 million for legitimate tax and estate-planning services, that he had been deceived about the fees, and that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s abuse until 2019.

The subpoena transforms a voluntary appearance into a compulsory deposition, meaning Black can no longer decline to answer on grounds of confidentiality. The committee is examining whether Epstein helped associates secure silence from accusers through financial settlements, a pattern that, if established, would illuminate how the financier maintained influence over victims. The confrontation with Black is the latest in a series of interviews the panel has conducted with figures from Epstein’s orbit. Transcripts released by the committee show that Epstein’s longtime assistant, Lesley Groff, was questioned this month about arranging travel for women and girls, including what she described as “decoy flights” to obtain visas, though she denied knowledge of any sexual purpose.

British and Australian press reports this week detailed how Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, visited Epstein twice at his Palm Beach office in 2009 while he was serving a jail sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and exchanged admiring emails with him. The visits, made possible by a generous work-release programme, have intensified scrutiny of the access Epstein retained even while incarcerated. The committee is expected to release the transcript of Black’s abbreviated interview in the coming days, ahead of his scheduled deposition on 16 July.