Bill Gates addressed his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a recent staff meeting at his charitable organisation, with the foundation later confirming that he “took responsibility for his actions” and answered questions directly.
According to a statement released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates spoke openly during the internal meeting, responding to questions from employees and discussing the renewed attention surrounding his relationship with Epstein. The organisation said Gates was candid in his remarks and engaged in detailed discussion on multiple issues.
The meeting came after reporting by The Wall Street Journal, which said Gates apologised to staff and acknowledged that he had made serious errors in judgment. The newspaper reported that Gates told employees he had engaged in two extramarital relationships with Russian women and that Epstein later became aware of those affairs. Gates reportedly told staff that while his interactions with Epstein were a mistake, he did not engage in or witness any illegal activity.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates was quoted as saying in relation to Epstein, according to the Journal, which said it had reviewed an audio recording of the meeting.
Gates has faced renewed scrutiny following the release of documents by the US Department of Justice in January, commonly referred to as the Epstein files. The documents revived public discussion around Epstein’s network of wealthy and powerful associates.
Despite the controversy, Gates, now 70, has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims.
According to the Journal’s report, Gates described spending time with Epstein as a “huge mistake” but stressed that he never interacted with any of Epstein’s victims. He also told staff that he never stayed overnight with Epstein and never visited the financier’s private island.
The paper further reported that Gates apologised to colleagues for the wider impact of his actions, saying he regretted drawing others into the controversy because of his poor decisions. The Journal said Gates explained that certain images included in the Epstein files — showing him with women whose faces were redacted — were photographs Epstein requested with his assistants after meetings.
Gates reportedly told staff that he first met Epstein in 2011, several years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He said he was aware that Epstein had faced restrictions on his travel but admitted he did not conduct adequate background checks before continuing the relationship.
According to the report, Gates continued meeting Epstein until 2014 and spent time with him outside the United States. He also acknowledged that his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, had expressed doubts about Epstein early on.
“To give her credit, she was always kind of sceptical about the Epstein thing,” Gates was reported to have said.
The Journal said Epstein had claimed connections with other billionaires and suggested he could assist Gates with fundraising for charitable initiatives, a factor that Gates cited as part of the reason he maintained contact.
In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed that the discussion took place during a scheduled town hall, noting that Gates holds such meetings with employees twice each year. The spokesperson said Gates answered pre-submitted questions covering a range of topics, including the Epstein files, the foundation’s work on artificial intelligence, and its long-term priorities in global health.
“In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressed several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions,” the foundation said.
Gates co-founded the foundation with Melinda French Gates, and the couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
Earlier this month, Melinda French Gates spoke on an NPR podcast about the renewed attention surrounding Epstein, saying the release of the documents reopened painful chapters from her marriage.
“I am so happy to be away from all the muck,” she said, adding that unresolved questions surrounding the matter were not hers to answer. “Those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”
US media have previously reported that Melinda French Gates was deeply uncomfortable with her husband’s association with Epstein prior to their separation. Following the announcement of their divorce, Gates acknowledged having had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019.
During the staff meeting, Gates reportedly said the two women with whom he had affairs were people he met through his own professional and social circles.
The latest attention also follows claims found in draft emails written by Epstein in July 2013 and included in the recently released files. Those emails alleged that Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted infection and attempted to conceal it, including from his then-wife.
Gates’s spokesperson has previously dismissed the claims, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false”.
One of the draft emails, styled as a resignation letter from the Gates Foundation, complained about having to source medication for Gates “to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls”.
At the time, Gates’s representatives said that while he acknowledged meeting Epstein was a serious lapse in judgment, he categorically denied any improper conduct related to Epstein or the crimes for which Epstein was accused.
In an interview with Australian broadcaster 9News in February, Gates said his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners and that he regretted “every minute” he spent with him. “I apologise that I did that,” he said.
In a previously issued statement responding to the Epstein files, the Gates Foundation said a small number of its employees had interacted with Epstein after he claimed he could mobilise significant philanthropic funding. The foundation said it ultimately chose not to pursue any collaboration.
“No fund was ever created. No payments were made by the foundation to Epstein, and he was never employed by the foundation at any time,” the statement said.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
