Bill Gates Addresses Epstein Links in Staff Meeting
Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" and discussed his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a meeting with staff from his charitable foundation, according to the organisation.
"Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail," the Gates Foundation stated.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Gates apologised to staff, disclosed having two affairs with Russian women which Epstein later discovered, and regarding Epstein said:
"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."
Gates has faced renewed scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein following the release of files by the US Department of Justice in January.
The Microsoft co-founder, aged 70, has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims.
The WSJ reported that Gates described it as a "huge mistake to spend time with Epstein" but insisted he "never spent any time with victims, the women around him."
"I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,"he told staff, according to the US newspaper, which reviewed a recording of Gates's remarks.
The report also noted that Gates said images of him with women, whose faces are redacted and included in the so-called Epstein files, were photos Epstein had asked him to take with his assistants after their meetings.
Gates told foundation staff he first met Epstein in 2011 — years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution — adding that he was aware of some "18-month thing" that had limited Epstein's travel but did not thoroughly check his background, according to the report.
He continued to meet Epstein through 2014 and spent time with him abroad, reportedly saying he "never stayed overnight" or visited Epstein's island.
The relationship persisted despite his ex-wife expressing doubts, Gates reportedly said, adding:
"To give her credit, she was always kind of sceptical about the Epstein thing."
Epstein told him he had connections with other billionaires and suggested he could assist in raising funds for charitable causes Gates was involved with, the report stated.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said:
"This was a scheduled town hall with employees, which Bill does twice a year. In the conversation, Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation's work in AI, and the future of global health. In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions."
Gates established his philanthropic organisation alongside his then wife, Melinda French Gates. They divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
In an interview with an NPR podcast earlier this month, Melinda said the recent release of files brought up "painful times in my marriage."
"I am so happy to be away from all the muck,"she said, adding elsewhere:
"Whatever questions remain there of what - I can't even begin to know all of it - those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me."
US media have reported that before their separation, Melinda was upset about her husband's association with Epstein. After their split was announced, Bill Gates acknowledged having had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019.
In his reported remarks to staff on Tuesday, Gates said he met the two women with whom he had affairs through his own social and business activities.
This follows claims made in emails drafted by Epstein in July 2013, contained in the files released in January, alleging Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection and attempted to conceal it, including from Melinda.
Gates's spokesperson previously called the claim "absolutely absurd and completely false."
One draft email, written as a resignation letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, complains about having to procure medicine for Gates "in order to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls."
"While Mr Gates acknowledges that meeting with Epstein was a serious error in judgment, he unequivocally denies any improper conduct related to Epstein and the horrible activities in which Epstein was involved,"the spokesperson said at the time.
Gates told Australian outlet 9News in February that his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners and that he regretted "every minute" he spent with him.
"I apologise that I did that,"he said.
In a separate statement in response to the latest batch of Epstein files, the Gates Foundation said "a small number of foundation employees interacted" with Epstein on the basis that he claimed to mobilise "significant philanthropic resources."
"Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein and no fund was ever created. At no time were financial payments made by the foundation to Epstein, nor was he employed by the foundation at any time,"it said.
