yahoo news | OPINION: Did Leon Black really pay Jeffrey Epstein $170 million for 'tax and...

In June 2022 Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D‑OR) began probing the “suspiciously lucrative” relationship between former Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Black had stepped down from Apollo in March 2021 after controversy over his ties to Epstein, insisting he knew nothing of the criminal’s activities and that Epstein never did business with the firm. Yet Wyden’s request‑for‑information letter highlighted a company‑commissioned investigation that suggested Black may have paid Epstein up to $170 million for tax and estate‑planning advice—well beyond typical CEO compensation and far exceeding fees paid to certified professionals.

Wyden’s inquiry centered on several oddities: the alleged payments ranged from $23 million to $26 million per year for several years, dwarfing the median 2021 Fortune 500 CEO pay of $15.9 million; the compensation appeared far above what is reasonable for estate‑planning services; and many of the agreements were unsigned. One unsigned tranche alone accounted for $56.5 million paid in five installments between 2013 and 2014. Wyden pressed Apollo to preserve all documents related to its internal probe, asking for any backup material that could verify whether Epstein’s “proprietary” tax strategies actually saved Black billions of dollars or were merely unfounded claims.

Although Wyden is now the ranking Democrat rather than the chair of the Finance Committee, he continues to push for transparency, introducing the “Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act” to force the Treasury Department to release bank records and other financial documents to congressional investigators. Wyden’s persistence underscores a broader frustration with Republican blockades and a desire for accountability, arguing that Epstein’s victims deserve justice and that no individual’s wealth should shield them from scrutiny or the consequences of “horrifying sexual abuse and pedophilia.”

Read more: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/opinion-did-leon-black-really-pay-jeffrey-epstein-170-million-for-tax-and-estate-planning

#leonblack #jeffreyepstein #senatefinancecommittee #ronwyden #produceepsteintreasuryrecordsact

OPINION: Did Leon Black really pay Jeffrey Epstein $170 million for 'tax and estate planning'?

If some skeptics find the magic tax calculation hard to believe, they might have really raised eyebrows over the discovery that not all of the compensation agreements between Black and Epstein were signed.

The Nevada Independent
@roywoodjr.bsky.social and his "Have I Got News for You" guests kick off season 3 with their reactions to #RFKJr. ’s appearance before the #SenateFinanceCommittee. youtu.be/n0Pekg5NYa0?...

‘Have I Got News for You’ gues...
‘Have I Got News for You’ guests react to RFK Jr.’s testimony

YouTube

Via #MSNBC @ 12:20am ET on Sept 5, 2025

The #SenateFinanceCommittee was not gentle with Donald #Trump's #HHS secretary, #RobertFKennedyJr., grilling him on his perspectives on #vaccines and often catching him in contradictions. #JenPsaki shares highlights of some of Kennedy's more frustrating lies, and the efforts of senators to call him out.

#RFKjrIsALiar #PathologicalLiar #RFKjr

https://youtube.com/watch?v=khSF5WUlNAc&si=1f9L8H49bLxjhQEg

Lie after lie, Senate committee dismantles RFK Jr., often using his own words against him

YouTube

—> PBS NewsHour <—

Key moments from RFKJr.'s Senate Testimony

RFKJr. faced questions from Lawmakers about #VaccinePolicy, #PublicHealth & recent Turmoil at #CDC & Prevention

Before the #SenateFinanceCommittee, Kennedy pushed-back on concerns
raised by #Democrats & some #Republicans about
his Policy changes at HHS like conflicting Guidance on #COVID-19 #Vaccine

#PBS #NewsHour
#Pol #Politics #GeoPolitics #WorldNews #News
#AusPol #CdnPoli #EUpol #NZpol #UKpol #USpol
https://youtu.be/dgpSNtwaGDY

WATCH: Key moments from RFK Jr.'s Senate testimony

YouTube

#Eilnachrichten

*RFK Jr. HHS-Bestätigung: Finanzausschuss des #US-Senats billigt #Kennedy - nachdem #tRump seine Autismus-Behauptungen verstärkt* 2)

#USpol #TrumpCoup #RFKJr #HHS
(1/n)

Der #TrumpCoup1) läuft auf Hochtouren. Hut ab vor jedem wie dem ranghöchsten Mitglied des #SenateFinanceCommittee, Sen. #RonWyden (D-#Oregon), der immer noch den Mut hat, sich gegen diese faschistische Übernahme der US-Regierung zu stellen.

Für diejenigen, die schlecht hören oder..

1)
https://mastodon.social/@HistoPol/113913104891373980

@flexghost

#BreakingNew

*RFK Jr. HHS Confirmation: Senate Finance Panel Approves Kennedy—After #tRump Boosts His Autism Claims* 2)

#USpol #TrumpCoup #RFKJr #HHS
(1/n)

Totally agree, the #TrumpCoup1) is going full speed. Kudos to everyone like the ranking member of the #SenateFinanceCommittee, Sen. #RonWyden (D-#Oregon,) who still has the guts to stand up to this facist takeover of US government.

For those with hearing impairments or lesser command of English,..
1)
https://mastodon.social/@HistoPol/113913104891373980

Via the #HuffPost

#Democrats are increasing their scrutiny of #JaredKushner’s business activities.

#SenateFinanceCommittee chair #RonWyden (D-Ore.) asked Kushner’s firm, #AffinityPartners, for details about its investors on Wednesday, including the $2 billion it received from the #SaudiArabian government’s #PublicInvestmentFund in 2021.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jared-kushner-affinity-partners-saudi-arabia_n_6669906ce4b01bc0ceedf831

Senate Democrats Launch Probe Of Foreign Payments To Jared Kushner’s Firm

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wants Affinity Partners to explain its investment schemes.

HuffPost
A friend’s $267,230 #loan to #JusticeClarenceThomas for an #RV was mostly, perhaps entirely, forgiven, raising #ethical and potential #taxissues. An inquiry by Democratic members of the #SenateFinanceCommittee found that #AnthonyWelters, who lent Justice Thomas the money, eventually forgave the 1999 loan, first reported by The New York Times. #SCOTUS #corruption #graft https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/us/politics/clarence-thomas-rv-loan-senate-inquiry.html
Justice Thomas’s R.V. Loan Was Forgiven, Senate Inquiry Finds

The justice failed to repay much, perhaps all, of the $267,230 loan. His benefactor wiped the slate clean, with ethical and potential tax consequences.

The New York Times
Harlan Crow declines to provide Senate Finance Committee with list of gifts he gave to Justice Clarence Thomas

Republican donor Harlan Crow on Monday wrote in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee that he will not provide a list of gifts he had given to Justice Thomas

NBC News
Yellen to Tell Congress U.S. Banking "Remains Sound" - Political IQ

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was set to tell the Senate Finance Committee Thursday that the U.S banking system "remains sound."

Political IQ