Bill Gates tells Epstein panel he 'never victimized anyone'
The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates voluntarily appeared before the House Oversight Committee. He said Jeffrey Epstein was "working to use information" about
The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates voluntarily appeared before the House Oversight Committee. He said Jeffrey Epstein was "working to use information" about his extramarital affairs. Tech billionaire Bill Gates testified about his relationship with deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein before a House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. After the hearing, which was held behind closed doors, the Microsoft co-founder posted a transcript of his opening remarks to his personal website. "I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct," Gates' statement said. "I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone." Nevertheless, Gates said he "should never have met with Epstein in the first place." "Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the new donors he promised, it would not have justified associating with him," the statement said. New Epstein files reveal ties to Trump, Musk and royalty To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The tranche of documents made public by the Department of Justice — commonly known as the Epstein files — contain several mentions of Gates, including calendar entries for meetings between Gates and Epstein, email correspondence between the two about philanthropic projects, and photos of Gates at events that Epstein also attended.
Gates outlines multiple meetings with Epstein Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011. This came three years after Epstein was jailed for procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008 and amid other allegations, including from reported trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre. "Epstein claimed he could raise billions of dollars for global health from people for whom he provided tax and estate 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," Gates said. "I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have," he added. How the Epstein files have opened a survivor's deep wounds To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Gates said he had three "preliminary meetings" in 2011 to discuss philanthropy, and two more in 2012, followed by "more extensive conversations" in 2013 and 2014. Gates said the discussions on philanthropy then reached a "dead-end" and money was never raised. "Our interactions ended in December 2014, four years before new reports in the press and unsealed court documents shed light on the extent of his crimes," Gates said.
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