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WilmerHale Review Finds No Payments to Epstein, Gates Foundation Tightens Oversight

The board unanimously approved centralized vetting and other reforms to try to restore donor trust after public scrutiny.

FILE - Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, leaves after a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill, June 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
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Warren Buffett recently pulled out of the Gates Foundation after a 20-year relationship.

Overview

  • An independent WilmerHale review released Tuesday found no evidence that the Gates Foundation paid Jeffrey Epstein or that foundation staff participated in or knew of his criminal activities.
  • The five-month inquiry included more than 50 interviews and a review of internal documents but did not examine Bill Gates’s personal communications or Epstein interactions in Gates’s private capacity.
  • The review documents roughly 30 meetings between Gates, foundation staff and Epstein from 2011 to 2014, including visits to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, and says employees repeatedly flagged reputational risks.
  • The Governing Board unanimously approved centralized vetting of brokers and donor advisers, a formal escalation process for organizational risks, expanded conflict‑of‑interest rules, and stronger safeguards for sensitive records.
  • Major donor Warren Buffett omitted the foundation from his 2026 gift and described Gates’s ties to Epstein as 'distasteful,' leaving funding and congressional scrutiny as key unresolved consequences to watch.