Microsoft co-founder and billionaire, Bill Gates, testifies today, Wednesday before a congressional committee investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case files, becoming the latest high-profile figure called to explain his relationship with the late financier. Members of the House Oversight Committee will examine Gates in a closed-door session, as has occurred with other witnesses in the investigation.
Testimony transcripts are typically released at a later stage. Republican Representative James Comer, committee chairman, formally requested Gates’ testimony following repeated references to his name in documents released by the United States Department of Justice as part of the Epstein investigation. The files include names of powerful figures from technology, finance, politics and other sectors. All those mentioned have denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes, however some maintained or developed relationships with him even after his history of sexual abuse became public.
Charges for sex trafficking of minors
The documents include calendar entries for meetings between Gates and Epstein, email correspondence regarding philanthropic initiatives, as well as photographs of Gates at events where Epstein was also present. According to available evidence, their professional relationship began in 2011, three years after Epstein’s guilty plea in a case involving a minor, and continued at least until late 2014. Epstein was indicted in federal court in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit related crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged he had created an extensive network of underage girls, some as young as 14, whom he sexually abused during 2002-2005. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in custody awaiting trial.
Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, has not been charged with any illegal activity related to Epstein and has stated he knew nothing about the abuse of underage girls. As he has maintained, their contacts were limited to discussions around philanthropy, characterizing his relationship with Epstein in hindsight as “a huge mistake.”
Small number of Gates Foundation employees had met with Epstein
Both he and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, have stated that his connection with Epstein caused tensions in their marriage. The Gates Foundation admitted in February that a small number of employees had met with Epstein, as he claimed he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health initiatives. However, no joint philanthropic fund was ever created and the foundation made no payments to Epstein. The foundation’s CEO, Mark Suzman, commissioned an independent audit in March to examine the organization’s previous relationship with Epstein. In a previous closed-door testimony in February, former U.S. President Bill Clinton answered questions from lawmakers for more than six hours regarding his relationship with Epstein from more than two decades ago.
According to investigation records, Epstein had visited the White House several times during Clinton’s presidency, while the former president had occasionally traveled on his private aircraft. Clinton stated he had not observed evidence of sexual abuse by Epstein and that he severed ties with him several years before the latter’s 2008 guilty plea. No charges for illegal activity related to Epstein have been filed against Clinton either.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the committee have requested that U.S. President Donald Trump also testify, who previously maintained relationships with Epstein as well. Republicans argue they have found no evidence indicating any illegal behavior by Trump during their known friendship.
