Bill Gates: Epstein Tried, Failed to Blackmail Me

Bill Gates says Jeffrey Epstein tried to use his private life as leverage—but insists his extramarital affairs and Epstein are two separate stories. In prepared remarks during a closed-door meeting with the House Oversight Committee, Gates on Wednesday acknowledged infidelities during his marriage and said they "had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family. Epstein "was working to use information about my infidelities—in addition to many lies that he layered on top—to pressure me to re-engage with him," Gates said, adding that the effort failed. "But it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda."

Gates again called his meetings with Epstein, which the Wall Street Journal reports occurred between 2011 and 2014, a "grave error in judgment" that risked the reputation and work of the Gates Foundation. He was unequivocal: "I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch or his Florida home," Gates said. "I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated" The AP reports that as he arrived at the Capitol, Gates told reporters, "I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, the important work, of the committee, to find justice for the victims."