Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has acknowledged his ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, apologizing to staff during a town hall meeting at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A spokesperson for the foundation confirmed Gates “took responsibility for his actions” in a written statement to Reuters.
Gates reportedly told employees that it was a “huge mistake” to meet with Epstein and involve foundation executives in discussions with him. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Gates said he had affairs with two Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but stressed that he had no involvement with Epstein’s victims. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” he told staff.
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) show that Gates and Epstein met several times after Epstein’s prison term to discuss Gates’ philanthropic projects. Photographs included in the DOJ documents reportedly depict Gates with women whose faces were redacted; Gates said these were taken at Epstein’s request after their meetings.
The Gates Foundation reiterated that it never made financial payments to Epstein and that he was never employed by the foundation. The town hall was part of a scheduled session in which Gates also addressed other questions raised by employees, including issues surrounding the release of Epstein-related files.
The billionaire recently withdrew from the India AI Impact Summit, where he had been scheduled to deliver a keynote address. Established in 2000, the Gates Foundation is one of the world’s largest funders of global health and development initiatives.