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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- June 11, 2026 09:22
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Billionaire Bill Gates told members of Congress on Wednesday that he "did not fully understand the extent of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes" when he worked with the convicted sex offender to raise funds for his philanthropic foundation.
Gates has also testified that he had never witnessed any criminal activity by Epstein.
However, Gates has accused Epstein of trying to blackmail him over his extramarital affairs.
"These relationships had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family," Gates said, according to a copy of his opening statement.
"Epstein was trying to use information about my infidelities, along with the many lies he added to them, to force me to reestablish contact with him," Gates said.
The US Congress is investigating the way the United States Department of Justice is handling the Epstein case.
The billionaire's testimony on Wednesday concerned his contacts with the convicted sex abuser, who had lured and exploited women and girls from poor or unstable backgrounds.
The Microsoft co-founder has testified privately before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating whether there was federal mismanagement in the cases against Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as other related matters.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a state criminal charge in Florida related to prostitution, and served 13 months in prison.
In 2019, federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking of minors. Epstein pleaded not guilty to those charges and died later that year in prison. Authorities ruled it a suicide before the trial began.
Documents released this year by the Justice Department showed that Gates and Epstein had met repeatedly after Epstein's release from prison in 2008 to discuss expanding the tech billionaire's philanthropic activities.
The documents also included photographs of Gates with several women, whose identities have been withheld.
Gates has previously stated that his relationship with Epstein was limited to discussions about philanthropy and that meetings with him were a mistake.
A Gates Foundation spokesman told Reuters that Gates "took responsibility for his actions" during a meeting with foundation employees in February.
The Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Epstein last year revealed his connections to many prominent figures in politics, finance, academia and business, including Donald Trump, who had a close friendship with Epstein during the 1990s and 2000s.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, fired by Trump in April, has faced strong criticism for her handling of the case. Some critics have accused her of trying to shield Trump from investigations and public scrutiny.
Trump had opposed the release of the files until shortly before Congress overwhelmingly passed a law ordering their release.