Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday for a voluntary, closed-door interview regarding his past association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The transcription interview is part of a broader, high-profile congressional inquiry examining federal oversight failures and the government’s subsequent handling of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Committee chairman Rep. James Comer requested Gates’ testimony after Justice Department records released earlier this year highlighted previously disclosed contacts between Gates and the convicted sex offender. In a copy of his opening remarks obtained by The Associated Press, the tech billionaire acknowledged that his interaction with the late convicted sex offender “was a grave error in judgment” and stated that he “should never have met with Epstein in the first place.”
According to congressional sources familiar with the deposition, Gates maintained that his interactions with Epstein between 2011 and 2014 were strictly limited to professional and philanthropic endeavors, specifically regarding a potential donor-advised fund to bolster international health programs. Gates asserted that he never traveled to Epstein’s private island, ranch, or Florida residence, nor did he ever witness or suspect illegal behavior. “I want to state very clearly: I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home,” Gates testified in his prepared statement, later emphasizing, “I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated.”
Gates told investigators that Epstein later attempted to use knowledge of his extramarital affairs to pressure him into maintaining contact. Gates said those efforts were unsuccessful and maintained that he never visited Epstein’s properties or witnessed criminal behavior. He also expressed regret that his association with Epstein may have lent credibility to the financier. Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing.
The testimony from Gates marks one of the highest-profile interviews conducted by the Republican-led panel, which has been examining whether federal authorities mishandled investigations into Epstein and Maxwell. Epstein pleaded guilty to a Florida prostitution-related charge in 2008 and died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide.
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