Microsoft co-founder Invoice Gates informed the Home Oversight Committee probing the federal government’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein that Gates “by no means victimized anybody” and that assembly with Epstein “was a grave error in judgment,” in response to his ready opening remarks.
Gates is going through questions Wednesday about his relationship with the late financier, marking one of the high-profile interviews carried out by the Oversight Committee because it started probing the federal government’s dealing with of its investigations into the infamous intercourse offender.
“I by no means witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing prison conduct. I by no means went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida dwelling. I’ve by no means victimized anybody,” Gates testified in his closed-door look, in response to a replica of his ready opening assertion.
Gates stated that Epstein sought to “foster a private relationship” with him, however stated his focus remained on utilizing Epstein to recruit new donors for Gates’ world well being initiative.
“My interactions with Epstein started with a restricted variety of preliminary conferences — three in 2011 and two in 2012 — throughout which I talked concerning the targets of my work,” Gates stated, in response to his assertion. “We started extra intensive conversations in 2013 and 2014. The discussions targeted on figuring out potential giving constructions, akin to donor-advised funds, and enroll people he claimed have been concerned with making important contributions.”
Gates stated he can “recall being conscious that Epstein had confronted prior authorized points” however added he “didn’t totally perceive the extent of the crimes he dedicated,” per the assertion.
He additionally informed the committee that he Epstein realized “delicate details about my private life” — together with that he had been untrue in his marriage to Melinda Gates.
Invoice Gates arrives for a closed door interview earlier than the Home Oversight Committee investigating late financier and intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 10, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
“These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, however they have been painful for my household,” Gates stated, in response to the assertion. “As the general public can now see, primarily based on what has been launched within the recordsdata, Epstein was working to make use of details about my infidelities — along with many lies that he layered on high — to strain me to re-engage with him. He was unsuccessful on this effort, but it surely reveals among the methods he tried to leverage his interactions with me to additional his agenda.”
Briefly remarks to reporters on his manner in Wednesday morning, Gates stated, “I will begin with a gap assertion within the listening to room. I hope my testimony is useful to the work, necessary work of the committee to seek out justice for the victims.”
Gates’ affiliation with the late financier has roiled his nonprofit and reshaped the general public notion of the tech billionaire who was as soon as the world’s richest man.
“I used to be silly to spend time with him. I used to be one in every of many individuals who remorse ever figuring out him,” Gates stated in February.
Home Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) first reached out to Gates in March to schedule the behind-closed-doors interview, writing in a letter that the tech billionaire may “have info that may help in its investigation.” In latest weeks, the Committee has carried out related transcribed interviews with former Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Epstein’s longtime govt secretary Lesley Groff.
“Gates welcomes the chance to seem earlier than the Committee,” a spokesperson for Gates stated in March. “Whereas he by no means witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s unlawful conduct, he’s trying ahead to answering all of the committee’s inquiries to assist their necessary work.”
Gates’ relationship with Epstein confronted a brand new wave of scrutiny earlier this 12 months when the Division of Justice’s release of Epstein files included correspondence between the 2 males, in addition to cryptic notes drafted by Epstein that hinted at Gates’ extramarital affairs.
In response to the Wall Road Journal, Gates apologized to the employees of his nonprofit throughout a city corridor in February and acknowledged that he had affairs with two Russian girls that Epstein later found. A spokesperson for Gates in a 2023 assertion stated that Epstein “tried unsuccessfully to leverage a previous relationship to threaten Mr. Gates.”
“Within the city corridor, Invoice spoke candidly, addressing a number of questions intimately, and took accountability for his actions,” a spokesperson for the Gates Basis informed ABC Information.
Melinda French Gates — who beforehand stated her 2021 divorce from Invoice Gates was pushed partly by his affiliation with Epstein — stated earlier this 12 months that the paperwork introduced again reminiscences of “some very, very painful occasions” of their marriage.
“No matter questions stay there … these questions are for these individuals, and for even my ex-husband,” she stated on NPR’s Wild Card podcast about what she described as a societal “reckoning” over the Epstein recordsdata. “They should reply to these issues, not me.”
Members of the Oversight Committee have expressed a want to study whether or not Epstein used his intercourse trafficking community to lure in rich and influential males to blackmail — allegations that the DOJ and FBI stated they discovered “no credible proof” of final 12 months.
Neither of the ladies who Gates acknowledged having affairs with — a Russian bridge participant and nuclear physicist — have been stated to have been launched to Gates by Epstein, although a spokesperson later stated that Epstein sought to “leverage” his information of one in every of his previous relationships to “threaten” Gates.
The interview can be more likely to contact on how Epstein was in a position to ingratiate himself with Gates simply three years after pleading responsible to costs of soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates has beforehand stated he was conscious of an “18-month factor” that restricted Epstein’s journey, and he regrets not additional investigating Epstein’s background.
In response to paperwork launched earlier this 12 months by the Division of Justice, Gates first met Epstein in 2011.
“I will not have time to do one other assembly and I will not be capable to do the dinner with Jeff Epstein,” Gates wrote in a 2010 e mail to Boris Nikolic, his former science advisor. “I used to be trying ahead to the dinner.”
Gates later stated he hoped he might leverage Epstein’s relationships with “very wealthy individuals” to assist his world well being philanthropic efforts.
“The main target was at all times: he knew quite a lot of very wealthy individuals, and he was saying he might get them to offer cash to world well being. Looking back, that was a lifeless finish,” Gates informed 9News Australia in February.
In response to paperwork launched by the DOJ, each males continued to speak for a minimum of three years, with Epstein at one level urging Gates to make use of a particular philanthropic automobile generally known as a “donor suggested fund” to make charitable contributions. On the time, Epstein in contrast donor suggested funds to “cloud computing for the giving world.”
“It’s a good analogy,” Gates wrote in a February 2014 e mail. “It’s clearer to me now than earlier than and it could possibly be a fantastic factor.”
However by December 2014, Gates appeared to chill on Epstein’s proposal, suggesting in an e mail that the plan was not viable for him.
“When it comes to the DAF I do not suppose we’ve got any individuals at this level who will transfer to do one thing quickly,” Gates wrote. “It’s a good suggestion, but it surely will not come along with 4-6 companions anytime quickly.”
In a press release earlier this 12 months, the Gates Basis stated it didn’t transfer ahead with Epstein’s fund and by no means transferred any funds to the disgraced financier.
“On the idea of Epstein’s claims that he might mobilize important philanthropic assets for world well being and growth, a small variety of basis workers interacted with Epstein to attempt to safe this potential funding. In the end, the muse didn’t pursue any collaboration with Epstein and no fund was ever created,” a spokesperson for the Gates Basis stated in February.
By March, the Gates Basis commissioned an exterior evaluation to evaluate its previous engagement with Epstein in addition to its insurance policies for vetting philanthropic partnerships. Basis officers stated in a press release they anticipated to get an replace about that evaluation later this summer season.
