Bill Gates acknowledged that convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein likely considered blackmailing him over his extramarital affairs, sharing as much with Congress.
The Microsoft co-founder made the admission during a June testimony with the House Oversight Committee, which was documented in a recently released 138-page transcription. While Gates noted that Epstein never blackmailed him directly, emails from the disgraced financier suggested that he could’ve if he wanted to.
“He never blackmailed me, but looking at these emails, it raises a serious probability that he contemplated blackmailing me,” the tech legend said during the testimony.
Gates has never been accused of any wrongdoing tied to Epstein. He voluntarily spoke with the House Oversight Committee about his professional dealings with Epstein, which started in 2011 as he sought support for his global health philanthropy, but ended in 2014.
Per Gates, it was after this fallout that he “learned Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage.”
He added: “These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family.”
However, the tech billionaire’s name is mentioned several times in the Epstein files. In 2013, Epstein sent emails to himself, in which he alleged that Gates used him to facilitate extramarital affairs with married women, as well as get medication to treat an STD he got from “sex with Russian girls.” Epstein also claimed that Gates wanted to give the same medication to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, in secret.
Gates denied claims that he had a sexually transmitted disease from the women several times, but did testify that it was possible that he shared a concern about having one with Epstein — “which later turned into the lie that I actually had an STD,” he added.
The Microsoft co-founder said that Epstein used these details as a way to “pressure” him into reconnecting.
“He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda,” Gates said. “I should never have met with Epstein in the first place.”
While Gates admitted to having a prior relationship with Epstein, he denied ever going to Epstein Island or meeting any women through him. His relationship with Epstein is cited as one of the key disagreements that led to the Gates’ divorce in 2021. French Gates reportedly expressed discomfort about the time he was spending with Epstein, but that did not stop him from continuing to do so.
“I had a number of dinners with him,” Gates told 9 News Australia about his relationship with Epstein. “I’ve said many times, but [I’ll] say again, I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him.”
He further clarified in the testimony that he “never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct.” Gates added that he never interacted with Epstein’s victims, but said he may have been in their presence.
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