Bill Gates to Congress: 'I Should Never Have Met Jeffrey Epstein'

Bill Gates appeared today (Wednesday) to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight, and at the start of his remarks expressed deep regret over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "I should never have met Epstein in the first place," said the 70-year-old Microsoft co-founder in his testimony, which was held behind closed doors at the Capitol. "In retrospect, I understand that even if he had brought the donors he promised, nothing would have justified the relationship with him." Gates is one of the most prominent names called to testify as part of the committee's review of Epstein's connections and influence among businesspeople, politicians and wealthy figures. His testimony comes a day after the Oversight Committee questioned Leslie Groff, Epstein's senior and longtime assistant. According to Gates, the relationship between the two began in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in a case involving solicitation of a minor for prostitution. Gates said he met Epstein as part of efforts to raise donations for the Gates Foundation and its global health work. "Epstein claimed he could raise billions of dollars for global health from people for whom he provided tax and estate planning services," he said. According to him, between 2011 and 2014 there were several meetings and conversations about possible donation structures, but in the end it became clear that the promises were not leading to real results. "In 2014 I understood that he would never deliver what he had promised," he testified. "I ended the relationship with him, no donation mechanism was established and no funds were raised." Gates stressed that he never witnessed any criminal activity by Epstein and did not participate in any improper acts. "I never visited his island, his ranch or his house in Florida. I never harmed anyone," he said. "He may have tried to form a personal connection with me, but I was not interested and did not respond." One of the notable revelations in his testimony concerned Epstein's conduct after their relationship ended. According to Gates, he learned that Epstein was aware of his affairs with his then wife, Melinda Gates, and tried to use that information to get him to renew their relationship. "As can be seen today from the published documents, Epstein tried to use information about my infidelity, along with other lies he spread, to get me to resume contact with him," he said. "He failed, but it illustrates how he tried to use people and relationships to advance his interests." Gates added that his association with Epstein put the reputation of the Gates Foundation at risk, a foundation considered one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations, with an endowment of more than $70 billion. "In the field I work in, reputation is the basis for creating partnerships that save lives," he said. "Meeting Epstein was a serious lapse in judgment and put that work at risk." In recent years, Epstein's ties to businesspeople, politicians and billionaires have returned to the center of public attention, especially after the publication of millions of documents from investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and Congress. Committee members said they wanted to better understand the extent of Epstein's connections with senior figures and the nature of the relationships he maintained with them. Epstein, who was accused of sexually assaulting dozens of teenage girls and young women, died by suicide in 2019 in a New York jail cell, weeks after being arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors.