Bill Gates to Testify Before US Congress on Epstein Ties
Hearings are scheduled for June 10.
Bill Gates. Photo: Evan Agostini / Invision/ AP
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates is set to testify this June before a U.S. Congressional committee investigating the activities of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, writes the BBC.
Congressmen confirmed that they had requested Gates on March 3 to speak about his friendship with Epstein. Previously, several other prominent figures testified before the commission, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
An official representative for Gates told the BBC that he "will be happy to answer any questions from committee members to aid their important work."
Victims of Epstein's crimes have never made any accusations against Gates. His name appears many times in millions of documents from the "Epstein dossier" published by the U.S. Department of Justice, however, this alone cannot serve as evidence of any illegal or inappropriate actions.
The Department of Justice has published about three million documents in the Epstein case, with several more millions remaining unpublished.
What is known about Gates' and Epstein's ties
Gates, who founded Microsoft and has focused on philanthropic activities in recent years, does not hide that he was friendly with Epstein for some time. However, he insists that he knew nothing about his crimes.
According to his foundation, Gates recently held a meeting with his organization's employees on this matter and "acknowledged responsibility for his actions." "Bill answered several questions sincerely and in detail," the statement said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Gates apologized to employees; he also admitted to having two affairs with women from Russia — and Epstein became aware of this. As the publication wrote, Epstein tried to blackmail Gates in connection with one of these affairs.
"I didn't do anything illegal. I didn't see anything illegal," Gates told his employees (according to the authors of the publication).
The documents in the Epstein case include several joint photographs of the financier with Gates
As the WSJ wrote, Gates told foundation employees that he met Epstein in 2011 — several years after the latter pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution — and added that he knew about an "18-month affair" that imposed travel restrictions on Epstein, but did not properly check his background.
Previously, the Microsoft founder also commented on his ties with Epstein in an interview with Australian television company 9News. He claimed their relationship was limited to joint dinners and said he had never been to Epstein's island.
"I regret every minute I spent with him, and I apologize for doing so," Gates said.
In his statement to the BBC, Gates' official representative said that he never participated in joint parties with Epstein and was not involved in his illegal activities.
Current U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and former Attorney General Pam Bondi are also expected to testify before the Congressional committee about their ties to Epstein in the coming months.