Bill Gates to face US congressional questioning over Epstein links

Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder whose fortune and philanthropy have made him one of the most prominent figures in public life, is preparing to answer questions from US lawmakers about his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein — a connection that has remained under intense scrutiny for years.

Gates is scheduled to sit for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee as part of its examination of the disgraced financier and the circle of influential people around him.

Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.

The committee requested Gates’ appearance after documents released by the Justice Department prompted fresh questions about the extent of his contact with Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019

A spokesperson for Gates said in a statement that the billionaire welcomed the opportunity to speak with the panel and stressed that he had “never witnessed or participated in Epstein’s illegal conduct”.

Among the Epstein files is a draft email from 2013 in which Epstein appeared to imply he had helped Gates navigate the consequences of extramarital affairs, including by seeking antibiotics after a sexually transmitted infection.

Gates has said the email was fake and has rejected the claims.

In an interview with Australian television in February, he said he had been “foolish” to spend time with Epstein, while insisting their association was unrelated to the financier’s criminal behavior.

He said: “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that… It’s factually true that I was only at dinners.

“I never went to (his) island, I never met any women.”

Being named in documents linked to Epstein is not, by itself, evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Gates told foundation staff he had affairs with two Russian women, but he denied spending time with Epstein’s victims.

He has said his relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The House Oversight Committee has been investigating Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell

Reports have said Gates acknowledged that his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, voiced concerns about Epstein in 2013, yet he continued to maintain the relationship for at least another year.

French Gates, who divorced the Microsoft co-founder in 2021, has said lingering questions about the relationship should be answered by her former husband and others involved.

The House Oversight Committee has been investigating Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a wider review of how the government handled the case and what material from its files has been made public.

President Donald Trump, who also had a years-long relationship with Epstein, at first resisted calls to release the files, drawing accusations of a coverup that shadowed his first year back in office.

Democrats say they plan to press Gates on what he knew about Epstein’s crimes and on the true nature of their relationship.

Unlike several other interviews the committee has made public, this session will not be videotaped.

US media reported that Gates had retained former Justice Department lawyer John Moran and received preparation from Jake Greenberg, a former top Oversight Committee investigator — a decision ethics experts said raised questions about optics, though not necessarily about rule-breaking.