‘Grave error judgment’: Bill Gates on meeting Jeffrey Epstein as he appears before House Committee

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said on Wednesday that he "never victimized anyone" while responding to questions from US lawmakers regarding his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to AFP, he called his meeting with Epstein “a grave error in judgement”, noting, “if the time I spent with Epstein lent him any credibility, I am deeply sorry”.

In prepared testimony submitted to a closed-door hearing and later published on his personal website, Gates stated, "I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone."

Gates, one of the world's wealthiest individuals and a prominent philanthropist, appeared before the House Oversight Committee for a recorded interview focused on his connections to Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls.

First meeting with Epstein in 2011 and interactions ended in 2014, says Gates

The House committee invited Gates to testify after documents released by the Justice Department prompted renewed scrutiny of his interactions with Epstein. A number of other prominent figures have also appeared before the panel, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Among the documents reviewed was a draft email from 2013 in which Epstein appeared to imply that he had assisted Gates in dealing with issues related to extramarital relationships, including obtaining antibiotics following a sexually transmitted infection.

Gates has dismissed the email as fabricated and denied the claims.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Gates informed staff at his foundation that he had affairs with two Russian women, but he denied ever spending time with Epstein's victims.

During Wednesday's hearing, Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011, three years after the financier pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He also mentioned Epstein had presented himself as someone capable of raising billions of dollars for global health initiatives through wealthy individuals for whom he handled tax and estate planning services.

"I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed. I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have," Gates remarked.

Gates said his association with Epstein came to an end in December 2014 after it became apparent that none of the prospective donors introduced by the financier was sufficiently interested in supporting the initiatives being discussed.

"I told him we would go no further and stopped communicating or meeting with him," Gates said.

Reports have indicated that Melinda French Gates expressed concerns about Epstein as early as 2013, but Gates continued to maintain contact with him for at least another year.

Melinda French Gates, who ended her marriage to the Microsoft co-founder in 2021, has said that any unanswered questions about the relationship should be addressed by Gates and others involved.

In his testimony on Wednesday, Gates said he later discovered that Epstein "had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage."

He maintained that the affairs "had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein" and alleged that Epstein attempted to "use information about my infidelities -- in addition to many lies that he layered on top -- to pressure me to re-engage with him. He was unsuccessful in this effort," he stated.

President Donald Trump, who maintained a long-standing association with Epstein, initially resisted calls to release the files, a stance that led to allegations of a cover-up during his first year after returning to office.

Democratic lawmakers have said they plan to question Gates about what he knew regarding Epstein's criminal activities and the true extent of their relationship.

Unlike several other committee sessions that have been made public, Gates' interview will not be recorded on video.

According to US media reports, Gates retained former Justice Department attorney John Moran and received preparation assistance from Jake Greenberg, a former senior investigator for the Oversight Committee. Ethics experts said the arrangement could raise concerns about appearances, although it did not necessarily breach any rules.

(With inputs from AFP)