Bill Gates scheduled for closed-door congressional interview on Epstein ties

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[CBS News] Bill Gates appearing before House committee investigating Epstein Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is sitting for a transcribed interview as revelations about his relationship with Epstein have rocked his philanthropic foundation.

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[ABC News] Bill Gates tells House panel that meeting with Epstein was 'grave error in judgment' Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is facing questions from the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

=== EARLIER COVERAGE / BACKGROUND (context only — do NOT lead with this) === === LATEST DEVELOPMENT (the current news — lead the headline and first paragraph with THIS) === [The Independent] Bill Gates says he ‘should never have met’ Epstein during closed-door meeting with House Oversight investigators Bill Gates told members of Congress that Jeffrey Epstein used the billionaire philanthropist to “rehabilitate his reputation” and admits he “should never have met” the dead pedophile in the first place.

In Wednesday’s closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee, the Microsoft co-founder said the wealthy and well-connected sex offender tried to leverage explicit details about his personal life, including his extramarital affairs, to coerce Gates into working with him.

Epstein “sought to build an image of legitimacy around himself, using connections to reputable and powerful people to deflect scrutiny and attempt to rehabilitate his reputation,” said Gates, according to a copy of his statement provided to The Independent.

Gates told reporters that he hopes his interview is “helpful” to the long-running investigation into the dead pedophile and his alleged ties to a network of powerful abusers. ” “I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, important work of the committee to find justice for the victims,” he said.

Gates, among the highest-profile figures speaking to the committee, was subpoenaed for testimony after the release of millions of documents stemming from Epstein investigations raised questions about the billionaire’s ties to the late sex offender. Documents released by the Department of Justice included calendar entries and correspondence between Gates and Epstein, who were also photographed together.

Gates has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with his abuse. “Due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation,” the committee’s Republican chair James Comer wrote in March.

” “While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work,” the spokesperson said in a statement. ” “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,” he added. Gates explained that he first met Epstein through people he trusted in his professional and philanthropic work in 2011 — three years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida.

Gates “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. ” His interactions with Epstein were limited to a handful of meetings in 2011 and 2012 followed by “more extensive conversations” about charitable giving efforts in 2014 and 2014, according to Gates.

Gates ultimately determined that Epstein’s efforts to reel in potential donors to his foundation were a “dead-end,” he said. “I told him we would go no further and stopped communicating or meeting with him,” Gates told the committee. No funds were raised and “no vehicle for charitable giving was ever created,” and their interactions ended in 2014, according to Gates.

At the same time, one of Gates’s former employees “engaged” Epstein to discuss the terms of his separation from his office, which Gates “did not ask” nor “want or need” Epstein’s involvement, he said. Epstein had also learned “sensitive information” about Gates’s personal life, “including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage,” he told the committee.

“These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family,” he added. “As the public can now see, based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities — in addition to many lies that he layered on top — to pressure me to re-engage with him.

” “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,” he added. “I was so focused on the possibility of raising funds for global health that I allowed that goal to override my better judgment,” he said.

” Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Documents in the Justice Department’s so-called Epstein files include two draft emails that Epstein appeared to have written himself in 2013. In those notes, he appears to claim that he facilitated sexual encounters for Gates and helped him obtain medication to hide a sexually transmitted infection from his wife.

Epstein appears to claim that he got medication for Gates “in order to deal with consequences of sex with russian girls” and “illicit trysts, with married women,” according to documents in the files. Another draft message alleges Gates asked Epstein to delete messages referencing a sexually transmitted disease as well as explicit details about his penis.

Last week, the committee referred two men to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution after a survivor’s sexual assault allegations, marking the first such move after a series of interviews and congressional hearings with members of Donald Trump’s administration.

Epstein’s former assistant Lesley Groff testified on Tuesday, during which she claimed that she set up calls between her former boss and Trump, among other allegations. Democrats on the committee have repeatedly urged testimony from the president, whose name appears thousands of times within the millions of documents released by the Justice Department.

” Trump has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, and one’s appearance in the Epstein files does not suggest otherwise. The president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and insists he cut ties with Epstein years before the wealthy pedophile was under investigation.

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[The Hill] Bill Gates in Epstein probe interview: ‘I have never victimized anyone’ Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Wednesday told the House Oversight Committee that he has “never victimized anyone” and never had an indication that Jeffrey Epstein engaged in criminal conduct.

Gates, in prepared opening remarks for his voluntary interview as part of the committee's investigation into the late sex offender, painted a picture of Epstein as an unreliable and vindictive man with whom he engaged with as he sought to raise money for philanthropic efforts.

He told the panel that he strongly supported its investigation into Epstein. “At the outset, I want to state very clearly: 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. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated,” Gates said in the opening statement. He said he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 — after Epstein had been convicted of sex crimes — and Epstein claimed he could help raise money for Gates’s philanthropic efforts on global health.

“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 said. Gates said he realized in 2014 that the discussions were a “dead-end” and that Epstein would not deliver on his promises, ceasing communication with him in December of that year.

Ahead of the interview, Gates gave only a brief statement to reporters. "I hope my testimony is helpful to the hard work of the committee to find justice for the victims,” Gates said in a brief statement to reporters before heading into the hearing room.

Rep. ), the chair of the Oversight panel, had requested in March that Gates appear for an interview after he was mentioned in documents related to Epstein that the Department of Justice released. “We just want to know about his relationship with Mr.

Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer said. “What did he see? Did he know what was going on? Was he involved in any of this? ” Epstein sent himself two emails on July 18, 2013, that were apparent drafts to Gates that contain unverified and disputed allegations of extramarital affairs and more.

In one email, Epstein alleged that Gates had asked him to delete emails about a sexually transmitted disease and requested antibiotics that he could “surreptitiously” give his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. ” “I think everybody in America has questions about that email,” Comer said.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Gates has been preparing for the interview with the help of the former chief investigations counsel for the House Oversight Committee, Jake Greenberg, who left the Oversight post in December 2025. “In the work I do, reputation is the basis for developing partnerships that save lives.

Meeting with Epstein was a grave error in judgement and put this work at risk. His behavior was antithetical to all my efforts to contribute to a world where everyone has a chance to live a healthy and productive life. If the time I spent with Epstein lent him any credibility, I am deeply sorry.

I have learned a significant lesson and am now far more careful about who I engage with even in a limited capacity,” Gates said in the prepared opening statement.

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[washingtontimes.com] Bill Gates says Epstein dangled knowledge of marital affairs to force engagement with sex trafficker Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told House lawmakers Wednesday that late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein used the billionaire philanthropist's marital infideliti...

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[The Washington Times] Bill Gates 'glad' to testify about Epstein ties in closed-door House panel hearing Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told a mob of reporters he is "glad to be here voluntarily," ahead of a private, transcribed interview with lawmakers about his yearslong relationship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

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</p><p>“I am here to answer your questions about my interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and to help contribute to the committee’s important work,” Gates said in his opening statement seen by the Guardian.

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[Al Jazeera] Bill Gates appears before Congress to testify over Epstein files Microsoft founder Bill Gates appeared before Congress to testify over Epstein files

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[NPR] Bill Gates is appearing before Congress over Epstein involvement Gates will sit for a closed-door interview before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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[ABC News] Bill Gates tells House panel that meeting with Epstein was 'grave error in judgment' Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is facing questions from the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

=== EARLIER COVERAGE / BACKGROUND (context only — do NOT lead with this) === === LATEST DEVELOPMENT (the current news — lead the headline and first paragraph with THIS) === [@business] Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates arrived at the US Capitol complex Wednesday for closed-door testi...

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates arrived at the US Capitol complex Wednesday for closed-door testimony to the House Committee investigating the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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[CBS News] Bill Gates appearing before House committee investigating Epstein Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is sitting for a transcribed interview as revelations about his relationship with Epstein have rocked his philanthropic foundation.

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[@AP] Bill Gates has arrived on Capitol Hill to appear before a congressional panel investigating the J... Bill Gates has arrived on Capitol Hill to appear before a congressional panel investigating the Jeffrey Epstein files, becoming the latest powerful figure linked to the disgraced financier to testify.

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[The Washington Times] Bill Gates will testify in a congressional panel's Jeffrey Epstein investigation Bill Gates will appear Wednesday before a congressional panel investigating the Jeffrey Epstein files, becoming the latest powerful figure linked to the disgraced financier to testify.

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[Just the News] Bill Gates arrives on Capitol Hill for closed-door House interview about his relationship to Epstein Gates has called his relationship with Epstein a "mistake" and that he regrets ever knowing him.

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com/technology/microsoft">Microsoft</a> co-founder will appear in a closed-door session, where lawmakers are expected to question him about his past relationship with Epstein.

=== EARLIER COVERAGE / BACKGROUND (context only — do NOT lead with this) === === LATEST DEVELOPMENT (the current news — lead the headline and first paragraph with THIS) === [Time] Bill Gates Is Set to Give an Interview in the House Epstein Probe. Here’s What to Know About His Ties to Epstein Bill Gates is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday for a transcribed interview in the panel’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist is among a number of high-profile figures whose ties to Epstein have come under scrutiny in recent months due to their names and photos appearing in the files related to Epstein’s case that have been released by the Justice Department.

And he joins a list of prominent people who have been called on to appear before the House Oversight Committee as the panel conducts its inquiry into the case, including former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Someone’s name or photo appearing in the so-called “Epstein files” is not necessarily an indication of wrongdoing, and Gates has denied having any knowledge of the crimes committed by the disgraced financier.