Leon Black Scheduled to Testify Before House Panel on Payments to Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Black is scheduled to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Friday morning as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The interview will take place behind closed doors, and the committee plans to release a transcript later.

Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, paid Epstein approximately $170 million for tax and estate planning services from 2012 to 2017, according to committee documents.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote to the committee earlier this month asking members to question Black about the size of those payments. Wyden stated that Black had not provided a credible explanation for the amounts.

Wyden sent a letter to Black in March seeking answers about personal and financial connections documented in Epstein files. On Thursday, Wyden said Black had not responded to that request. An attorney for Black wrote in April that documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act contain no credible evidence Black knew of Epstein's criminal activities.

Another attorney told CBS News in December that an internal Apollo investigation found the payments were solely for estate planning and tax advice. Emails released by the committee show Epstein advised Black on personal matters, including a 2015 nondisclosure agreement with a former Russian model. Court records indicate the agreement later collapsed and led to lawsuits.

The House Oversight Committee has already interviewed Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and businessman Les Wexner in connection with Epstein. Additional witnesses expected in the coming month include former Goldman Sachs executive Kathy Ruemmler, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, and former JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staley.