Overview
- Bill Gates told the House Oversight Committee in a non‑public, transcribed interview that Jeffrey Epstein tried to use knowledge of Gates’s extramarital affairs to pressure him and that those efforts failed.
- Gates acknowledged past marital infidelity, said he never observed Epstein committing crimes, and stated he never visited Epstein’s island, ranch, or Florida home.
- He said he first met Epstein in 2011 to explore fundraising for global health work, ended contact around 2014 when promised donations did not materialize, and called the meetings a serious error in judgment.
- Documents released by the Justice Department include an unverified 2013 draft email in Epstein’s files that alleges Epstein gave Gates medications and antibiotics, but those claims remain unproven and are being treated as leads not facts.
- The Oversight Committee plans more witness interviews and subpoenas for financiers and DOJ officials as it probes how prosecutors handled Epstein cases, and Gates said he hopes his testimony helps secure justice for victims while acknowledging reputational fallout for him and his foundation.