WASHINGTON (AFP) — On Wednesday morning, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals and most high-profile philanthropists, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, entered Capitol Hill to answer questions from U.S. lawmakers about his past connections to the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. For years, Epstein’s sprawling network of elite, powerful associates has drawn intense public scrutiny and spawned widespread speculation across political and media circles.
Gates sat for a closed-door transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee, a panel probing the disgraced financier whose 2019 death in a New York jail cell came while he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. As Gates made his way into the hearing room, he stopped briefly to address reporters, saying, “I hope my testimony is helpful to the work — important work — of the committee to find justice for the victims,” before declining to answer any additional questions.
The committee called Gates to testify after recently released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice opened up new lines of inquiry about the extent of his interactions with Epstein. Gates joins a growing list of high-profile public figures who have already appeared before the panel, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
In a pre-interview statement provided to AFP, a spokesperson for Gates said the billionaire welcomed the opportunity to address the committee’s questions and reiterated that he “never witnessed or participated in Epstein’s illegal conduct.”
Among the thousands of released Epstein documents is a 2013 draft email that appears to claim Epstein assisted Gates in managing public backlash after extramarital affairs, including helping Gates obtain antibiotics following a sexually transmitted infection exposure. Gates has repeatedly labeled the email a forgery and denied all the claims contained within it. In a February interview with Australian television, Gates acknowledged that his decision to build a relationship with Epstein was “foolish,” but stressed that the connection had no ties to Epstein’s criminal activities.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that… It’s factually true that I was only at dinners. I never went to (his) island, I never met any women,” Gates stated in that interview.
Legal experts emphasize that mere inclusion in Epstein’s personal files does not constitute evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of any individual named. According to a prior Wall Street Journal report, Gates admitted to staff at his philanthropic foundation that he had engaged in extramarital affairs with two Russian women, but he has consistently denied ever interacting with any of Epstein’s victims. Gates has confirmed his relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution. He has also acknowledged that his then-wife Melinda French Gates raised explicit concerns about his contact with Epstein as early as 2013, yet he maintained the relationship for at least another 12 months.
Melinda French Gates, who finalized her divorce from Gates in 2021, has previously stated that all outstanding questions about her ex-husband’s ties to Epstein are a matter for Gates and other involved parties to address.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Epstein and his long-time accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is part of a broader inquiry into how federal agencies handled the Epstein case and what transparency the government has provided around the thousands of documents tied to his crimes and network. U.S. President Donald Trump, who himself maintained a years-long relationship with Epstein, initially opposed the public release of the full cache of Epstein documents, leading to persistent accusations of a cover-up that have marked his first year back in office.
Democratic members of the committee have made clear they intend to probe what Gates knew about Epstein’s criminal activities, as well as the full scope and nature of their professional and personal relationship. Unlike many previous interviews the committee has conducted and released publicly, Gates’ interview will not be videotaped.
U.S. media outlets have also reported that Gates retained former Justice Department lawyer John Moran to represent him for the interview, and received preparatory assistance from Jake Greenberg, a former lead investigator for the House Oversight Committee. Ethics experts note that while the arrangement raises ethical optics concerns, it does not explicitly violate any congressional or ethics rules.