❓WHAT HAPPENED: Bill Gates addressed his connections to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two affairs during a town hall meeting with staff from his foundation.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein, Melinda French Gates, and the staff of the Gates Foundation.
📍WHEN & WHERE: During a scheduled Gates Foundation town hall meeting, following the release of the Epstein Files in January.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” – Bill Gates
🎯IMPACT: The remarks renewed scrutiny over Gates’s ties to Epstein and his personal conduct, as well as broader concerns regarding his foundation’s operations.
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and head of the Gates Foundation, addressed his connections to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two extramarital affairs during a town hall meeting with his foundation’s staff. The meeting followed the release of files by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in January, which renewed scrutiny of Gates’s ties to Epstein. Messages written by Epstein allege that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) from “Russian girls” and subsequently sought assistance in acquiring antibiotics that he intended to secretly administer to his then-wife, to treat or protect her from the STD without her noticing
The billionaire admitted it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” but maintained, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” He also noted that he met Epstein in 2011, years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and continued meeting him until 2014. Gates claimed he was unaware of Epstein’s full background at the time. This defense has struck some as less than genuine, as Epstein’s 2008 conviction was a matter of public record. In addition, the likelihood that Gates’s personal staff did not vet Epstein at all seems low.
Gates also claimed that Epstein attempted to use knowledge of his affairs with two Russian women to leverage influence and favors. Gates stated that the images of him with women in the Epstein files were taken at Epstein’s request and included Epstein’s assistants. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates told staff.
Notably, the Gates Foundation clarified in a statement that the town hall meeting was part of a regularly scheduled event where Gates answered questions submitted by employees. The foundation reiterated that no financial collaborations or payments were ever made to Epstein, and no foundation funds were tied to him. “Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein, and no fund was ever created,” the organization claims.
Melinda French Gates, Gates’s ex-wife, has previously expressed concerns about his association with Epstein. Bill and Melinda Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
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