In Washington D.C., Microsoft co-founder and global billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates was scheduled to answer questions from United States congressional lawmakers on Wednesday regarding his past connections to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, a once-powerful financier who built a sprawling network of high-profile wealthy and influential associates, died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. His death and the tangled web of connections he left behind have spawned years of intense public scrutiny, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, and ongoing congressional probes.
This transcribed, closed-door interview was called by the House Oversight Committee, a panel that has been conducting a wide-ranging investigation into how federal authorities handled the Epstein case and the release of court documents tied to his crimes. The request for Gates’ testimony came after newly unsealed files released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sparked fresh unanswered questions about the frequency and nature of contacts between Gates and Epstein.
Gates is not the only high-profile figure to be questioned by the committee: former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have all previously appeared before the panel to answer questions about their own links to Epstein.
In an official statement provided to Agence France-Presse, a spokesperson for Gates confirmed that the billionaire welcomed the opportunity to testify before the committee and reiterated that Gates “never witnessed or participated in Epstein’s illegal conduct.”
The unsealed Epstein documents contain a controversial 2013 draft email that appears to claim Epstein helped Gates mitigate public fallout from extra-marital affairs, including arranging for access to antibiotics after a sexually transmitted infection exposure. Gates has publicly rejected the email as fabricated and denied all the allegations contained within it. In a February interview with Australian television, Gates described his decision to associate with Epstein as “foolish,” but stressed that his relationship never involved any involvement with the financier’s criminal activity.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize 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 the interview.
Legal experts have stressed that simply being named in Epstein-related documents does not constitute evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on Gates’ part. The billionaire has confirmed that his relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution. A 2024 Wall Street Journal report also revealed that Gates admitted to foundation staff he had carried out extra-marital affairs with two Russian women, but he has repeatedly denied ever interacting with any of Epstein’s underage victims.
Gates has also acknowledged that his then-wife Melinda French Gates raised explicit concerns about his contact with Epstein as early as 2013, yet he continued to maintain a relationship with the financier for at least another 12 months. The couple divorced in 2021, and French Gates has said all lingering questions about her ex-husband’s ties to Epstein are for Gates and other involved parties to address.
The House Oversight Committee’s broader probe extends beyond just high-profile associates to examine the role of Epstein’s long-time accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the sex trafficking ring, as well as how federal agencies handled the investigation and prosecution over decades. Former President and current President Donald Trump, who also maintained a years-long social relationship with Epstein, initially blocked the full release of Epstein-related documents, sparking persistent accusations of a cover-up that have followed him throughout his second term in office.
Committee Democrats have confirmed they plan to press Gates on what knowledge he had of Epstein’s criminal activities, as well as push for full transparency around the full scope of their professional and personal relationship. Unlike many of the previous high-profile interviews the committee has released to the public, this questioning of Gates will not be videotaped, a choice that has drawn quiet criticism from transparency advocates. U.S. media has also reported that Gates has retained former DOJ lawyer John Moran to represent him during the testimony, and received preparatory coaching from Jake Greenberg, a former senior investigator for the House Oversight Committee itself. Ethics experts have noted that while the move raises ethical optics concerns, it does not technically violate any congressional or executive branch rules.