‘I did have affairs’: Bill Gates apologises to Microsoft's staff, calls meeting Jeffrey Epstein a ‘huge mistake’

Bill Gates has apologised to staff at the Gates Foundation over his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but maintained that he did “nothing illicit,” PTI reported citing a media report.

According to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal, the Microsoft co-founder addressed the controversy at a town hall with staff on Tuesday. He also acknowledged having had two affairs with Russian women but said they were unrelated to Epstein’s crimes.

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, as per a recording reviewed by the newspaper.

Gates’ name was among several prominent figures mentioned in the so-called “Epstein files” — a trove of documents including emails, photos, interview transcripts and call logs released online last month by the US Justice Department.

Association and apology

At the town hall, Gates said photographs in the newly released files showing him with women whose faces are redacted were taken at Epstein’s request after meetings with his assistants. “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he said.

“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to involve foundation executives in meetings with him, Gates said, adding: “I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”

When did the two meet?

Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011 — three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

He admitted he did not “properly check” Epstein’s background, even though he was aware of an “18-month thing” that had limited Epstein’s travel.

He further said he continued meeting Epstein even after his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, raised concerns in 2013. “To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Gates told staff he met Epstein through 2014, flew on a private jet with him and saw him in Germany, France, New York and Washington. “I never stayed overnight,” he said, adding that he never visited Epstein’s island.

 

Reputational fallout and clarification

Gates acknowledged that his association with Epstein and newly disclosed emails from the Justice Department files had cast a shadow over the foundation’s reputation.

“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” he said. “And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said Gates holds town halls twice a year and that he “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”

Gates also said Epstein “talked about the kind of intimate relationship he had with a lot of billionaires, particularly Wall Street billionaires,” and claimed he could help raise funds for causes such as global health.

Gates said the presence of other high-profile individuals at meetings “made it easier for me to feel like this was a normalized situation,” adding that he now recognises his association may have helped Epstein burnish his reputation.

In the town hall, Gates said, “I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities.”

He clarified that 2014 was the last year he met Epstein.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges, according to US media reports.

(With inputs from PTI)