Asger Risom
Bill Gates denied wrongdoing tied to Jeffrey Epstein, telling staff he “did nothing illicit” while calling his past association with the financier a “huge mistake.”
Bill Gates has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, saying he “did nothing illicit” while acknowledging that his association with the disgraced financier was a serious mistake.
Speaking during a recent town hall meeting with staff at the Gates Foundation, the Microsoft co-founder apologized for spending time with Epstein and for involving foundation executives in meetings with him.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein. I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates told employees, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” he said. “And our work is very reputation-sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us,” he added.
Draft email sparks renewed scrutiny
The comments come after the US Department of Justice released additional documents, including a draft email written by Epstein that contained unverified claims about Gates.
In the draft, Epstein alleged that his relationship with Gates involved helping him obtain drugs and facilitating encounters with women, including “sex with Russian girls.” Gates rejected those claims.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” he told foundation staff.
Gates said photographs showing him standing with women — whose faces were redacted in released materials — were taken at Epstein’s request after meetings and that the women were assistants.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates said.
Meetings from 2011 to 2014
Gates told employees he began meeting Epstein in 2011 and was aware of his prior legal trouble, including travel restrictions. He admitted he did not conduct a thorough background check at the time.
He said he continued meeting Epstein until 2014 and traveled with him on at least one private jet flight, but never stayed overnight at Epstein’s properties and never visited his private island.
Gates also acknowledged that his former wife, Melinda French Gates, had been skeptical of Epstein from early on.
“To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,” Gates said. “Knowing what I know now makes it a hundred times worse.”
In a separate interview with 9News Australia, Gates reiterated his regret: “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise.”
Sources: NDTV, The Wall Street Journal, 9News Australia
