Bill Gates testifies in closed-door US House meeting over Epstein ties

Published 10 June 2026 · world

In prepared remarks, Gates told the House Oversight Committee that meeting Epstein was a ‘grave error in judgment’. Tech entrepreneur Bill Gates, the cofounder of

In prepared remarks, Gates told the House Oversight Committee that meeting Epstein was a ‘grave error in judgment’. Tech entrepreneur Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, has testified in a closed-door session with a panel in the United States House of Representatives about his connection to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. While Wednesday’s meeting was held in private, Gates shared his opening remarks online, wherein he denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal actions. “I want to state very clearly: I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct,” Gates wrote. “I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated.” Gates’s testimony was the latest in a string of appearances before the House Oversight Committee, as it seeks further information about Epstein’s connections — and whether powerful figures may have shielded the late financier from accountability. Committee chair James Comer, a Republican, told reporters on his way to the hearing that lawmakers would probe Gates about his links to Epstein and his former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. “We just want to know about his relationship with Mr Epstein and Ms Maxwell. What did he see? Did he know what was going on? Was he involved in any of this?” Comer said. “I will say this: No one’s accusing Bill Gates of any wrongdoing, and I certainly appreciate him coming in voluntarily.” But while there has been bipartisan outrage about the government’s handling of the Epstein case, critics have raised concerns about the direction the committee’s Republican leadership has taken its investigation. A string of committee interviews Wednesday’s meeting with Gates marked the 15th interview the House Oversight Committee has conducted.

Already, political figures like former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have sat for depositions in front of the committee. So have business leaders like former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner. Pam Bondi, who served as attorney general until her firing on April 2, also appeared for an interview last month, though she avoided a sworn deposition. Notably absent from the committee’s lineup is President Donald Trump, who socialised with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, including his solicitation of minors and his alleged se trafficking ring. Since Trump returned to office for a second term, his administration has faced accusations that it mishandled the Epstein files. New details about Trump’s relationship with Epstein have also emerged in media reports. In November, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandating that the Department of Justice release all files pertaining to the convicted sex offender within 30 days. But that deadline was missed. When millions of files did become available in January, critics argued that some of the published records were unlawfully redacted, while victims’ identities were released to the public. Epstein is accused of masterminding a decades-long se trafficking ring whose victims are thought to number in the hundreds. In 2008, Epstein agreed to a plea arrangement that critics have compared to a sweetheart deal. In exchange for pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution, he received an 18-month prison sentence. He ultimately served 13 months instead. At the time of his death, Epstein was facing federal se trafficking charges. He was found dead in his jail cell in 2019, and his death was ruled a suicide. Gates’s testimony In his statement on Wednesday, Gates told the House committee that he met Epstein in 2011 as he was seeking to raise funds for his philanthropic work.