Bill Gates is scheduled to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Microsoft co-founder will testify in a closed-door session, where lawmakers are expected to question him about his past relationship with Epstein. A transcript of the interview is expected to be released later.
Ahead of the appearance, a spokesperson for Gates told the Guardian that Gates “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee” and that “while he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work”.
The committee, chaired by James Comer, requested Gates’s testimony in March after the Justice Department released millions of documents related to Epstein. The files contained numerous references to Gates, photographs of him and records showing multiple meetings between the two, prompting renewed scrutiny of Gates’s past association with the disgraced financier.
Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The documents also included correspondence between Epstein and some former advisers and staff members at the Gates Foundation. Following the release of the files, the foundation said it was aware of the emails and stated that “on the basis of Epstein’s claims that he could mobilise significant philanthropic resources for global health and development, a small number of foundation employees interacted with Epstein to try to secure this potential funding”.
“Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein and no fund was ever created,” the foundation added.
In April, the Gates Foundation announced an “external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships”. The review remains ongoing, with an update expected for the board and management this summer.
Gates has publicly expressed regret over his association with Epstein. In an interview last year, he said he met Epstein several times to discuss philanthropy but admitted he was “foolish” to spend time with him.
“Yes, I think I was quite stupid,” Gates said. “I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy, in fact it failed to do that, and it was just a huge mistake.”
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Gates apologised to Gates Foundation employees during a February town-hall meeting for his past ties to Epstein.
According to the newspaper, Gates told staff he first met Epstein in 2011, several years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida. He said he knew about what he described as an “18-month thing” that restricted Epstein’s travel but acknowledged that he had not adequately checked Epstein’s background.
Gates said he continued meeting Epstein until 2014, despite concerns raised by his then wife, Melinda French Gates. He told employees that he travelled on a private jet with Epstein and spent time with him in Washington, New York, France and Germany, but “never stayed overnight” or visited Epstein’s private island.
During the meeting, Gates reportedly acknowledged having two extramarital affairs that Epstein later learned about and which were referenced in emails released in the files. He said the affairs did not involve any of Epstein’s victims.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, according to the Journal.
Addressing photographs in the Epstein files that show him with women whose faces are redacted, Gates said Epstein had asked him to appear in photographs with his assistants after meetings.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates said.
Gates again described the relationship as a “huge mistake” and apologised to “other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made”. He said 2014 was the last year he met Epstein, although he continued to receive emails from him afterwards, which he did not answer.
Responding to questions about the town-hall meeting, a Gates Foundation spokesperson told the Guardian: “this was a town hall with employees, which Bill does twice a year” and that “in the conversation, Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation’s work in AI, and the future of global health”.
“In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions,” the spokesperson said.
Ahead of this week’s deposition, the New York Times reported that Gates has been preparing with assistance from Jake Greenberg, the former top investigative counsel to the House oversight committee.
