Key Epstein Player Decides to ‘Lawyer Up’ in Wake of Midterm Results

PHOTO BY KEVIN DIETSCH / GETTY IMAGES

By Jackie Appel, Investigative Reporter

In the wake of the blue tsunami of Democrat gains that was this year’s midterm elections, incoming House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) issued a warning to those involved in corruption or criminal conduct: “Lawyer up.” Epstein-linked billionaire Leon Black seems to have heeded that warning, filing a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against Garcia, who will lead an ongoing investigation into the deceased sex trafficker when the new Congress is seated in January.

Black alleges that, in his capacity as ranking member of the Oversight Committee, Garcia “went on national television and lied to the American people” about Black’s involvement with Epstein’s vast trafficking network. The lawsuit claims Garcia’s statements “caused real and significant ongoing harm to Mr. Black. His physical safety has been threatened, he has received a barrage of hateful calls, emails, and social media posts, and his business and philanthropic endeavors have suffered.”

Garcia has not yet publicly responded to the suit.

Black has become a central character in multiple congressional investigations into Epstein. The two had a relationship that spanned decades, and according to the New York Times, and Black paid Epstein $170 million over the course of that relationship that investigators believe was used for illicit purposes. Bank records have also revealed that Black paid millions of dollars to eight women, three of which were known associates or victims of Epstein. In 2023, Black paid the U.S. Virgin Islands $62.5 million to settle a case in which two women had accused Black of assaulting them after being introduced to them by Epstein.

But according to evidence found in the Epstein Files, Black and Epstein had more than a monetary connection. The two seem to have been friends, at least enough so that Black wrote Epstein a poem for his 50th birthday, which included the stanzas: ‘Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically / With this net of fish, Jeff’s now ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’” He signed the card containing that poem, “Love and Kisses, Leon.” Black also appears over 8,000 times in the files.

Researchers for COURIER’s Cover-Up investigation also uncovered photographs of Black at one of Epstein’s residences making milkshakes, and a series of personal texts between the pair.

The timing of this new lawsuit against Garcia has captured the attention of the national public, with many speculating as to why he chose to file the suit immediately following the blue tsunami of November 3. As the incoming chairman of the Oversight Committee and member of a newly-minted Democratic House majority, Garcia will soon have access to more investigative levers than he did as ranking member. He has already announced a series of priorities for the committee once the new congress is sworn in come January, one of which is to turbocharge Oversight’s investigation into Epstein, and what they believe to be an ongoing cover-up by the Trump administration to protect those implicated from consequences.

“We don’t care if you are a Republican, a Democrat, how much money you have, your wealth, your power… if you abused children, you will be held accountable by the Oversight Committee,” Garcia said.

This suit is not the first Black has filed during Oversight’s ongoing investigation into Epstein’s criminal enterprise. In September, Black sued the committee and outgoing chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY), for overstepping their authority. This suit was filed the same day that Black had been scheduled to appear for a deposition after being subpoenaed by the committee. He also failed to produce several NDAs that had been subpoenaed by the committee. Black was held in contempt of court for failing to abide by the subpoenas.

“No one is above the law,” Comer said in a statement. “Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress. We will continue to seek transparency for the American people and justice for survivors in our investigation of the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases.”

COURIER’s newly-launched Epstein investigation project

For too long, the Epstein Class has dealt in wealth, power, and politics to avoid accountability and deny victims & survivors their due justice. The public deserves the truth, but the Trump Administration is failing its legal obligation to deliver it.

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