Rep. Yassamin Ansari says "Congressional subpoenas are binding, not suggestions"
Yassamin AnsariMember of the House Oversight Committee, in a post on X
In a post on X on September 16, 2026, after the House agreed to the resolution, Rep. Yassamin Ansari wrote that the House "unanimously approved our Oversight contempt resolution for Leon Black". She wrote that "Congressional subpoenas are binding, not suggestions".
“The House just unanimously approved our Oversight contempt resolution for Leon Black ... Congressional subpoenas are binding, not suggestions.”
Original post
Original text
Original text
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was the House justified in holding Leon Black in contempt of Congress over the Epstein inquiry?
On June 26, 2026, Leon Black appeared voluntarily for a transcribed interview in the House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation. The committee said he declined to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements, and Chairman James Comer issued two subpoenas that day, one for a deposition and one for nondisclosure agreements. Black did not appear for the September 3 deposition and sued the committee that day; his attorneys said he had produced the only confidentiality agreement within the committee's stated purpose and that the subpoenas exceed its authority. The committee voted 41-0 on September 15 to recommend contempt, and the House agreed to the resolution by unanimous consent on September 16 with no recorded vote. Comer and Ranking Member Robert Garcia said Black defied the subpoenas, while Black's attorneys called the action retaliatory. The CourtListener copy of the lawsuit docket, last updated September 18, listed no ruling on Black's claims, and as of September 25, 2026 we could not locate a public Justice Department decision on the referral.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Post by a member of the Oversight Committee, published after the House agreed to the contempt resolution.
Original text
About this source
Committee roll call sheet for the vote to report the contempt resolution. It records 41 ayes and 0 noes, with 20 Republicans and 21 Democrats voting aye and six Republican members not recorded.
Original text
About this source
Official record of the House floor action on H. Res. 1543: Comer's request for unanimous consent, the absence of objection, and agreement to the resolution.
Reporting
About this source
CNBC report on the House action. It quotes Black's attorneys at length and a Justice Department spokesperson's statement about the expected referral.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Oversight Committee voted 41 to 0 on September 15, 2026 to recommend contempt, and the House agreed to the resolution by unanimous consent on September 16, without a recorded vote.
After the quotation
A Justice Department spokesperson said the department expects to receive the referral and that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia will review it carefully.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the decision to hold Black in contempt, Ansari welcomes the House's approval of the contempt resolution and says congressional subpoenas are binding. That supports the action itself.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Leon Black
More from this case
Read the full caseFormer House counsel Michael Stern writes that Black's lawsuit "must fail" and that the committee "is entitled to question Black under oath"
“Black’s lawsuit must fail because it is well-settled that courts lack power to restrain congressional committees from issuing or enforcing a subpoena, regardless of the recipient’s claim that the subpoena violates constitutional privilege, was improperly motivated, or is otherwise unlawful. ... COGR is entitled to question Black under oath in a formal deposition even if Black had answered every pertinent question in a voluntary interview.”Read statement
Sen. Ron Wyden says "Black is doing everything in his power to dodge questions from Congress"
“No surprise Black is doing everything in his power to dodge questions from Congress.”Read statement
Black's attorneys call the House contempt action "politically motivated and completely retaliatory"
“an outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black ... The House of Representatives has rushed through every stage of this inquiry. ... The full House is holding him in contempt without any regard to the active litigation challenging the lawfulness of the Committee’s actions and the ethics complaint against Chairman Comer ... politically motivated and completely retaliatory by a Chairman who is focused solely on himself and his own political ambitions without any regard for the truth and the law. ... To think, he is being held in contempt over invalid subpoenas is ridiculous.”Read statement
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- Rep. Yassamin Ansari says "Congressional subpoenas are binding, not suggestions"
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The Dispute Index. "Rep. Yassamin Ansari says "Congressional subpoenas are binding, not suggestions"". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2734-in-a-post-on-x-on-september-16