Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates issued an apology for his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a townhall for the Gates Foundation, during which he also confessed to having two affairs while married to his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, according to reports.
Speaking to foundation staffers on Tuesday, Gates admitted to traveling on Epstein’s private jet as well spending time with the disgraced financier at home and abroad, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a recording of the town hall meeting. He also denied any wrongdoing, going as far as to say that he did not witness anything “illicit” while spending time with late billionaire.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” Gates said. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
He added: “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him.”
Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011, a couple years after the late financier was convicted in Florida of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute in 2008. Gates said Tuesday that he’d been aware of some “18-month thing” that had limited Epstein’s travel, but did not look into the matter further. He also credited his former wife, Melinda, “who was always kind of skeptical” of Epstein.
Gates wanted to take “responsibility for his actions,” a foundation spokesperson told the WSJ, explaining that he chose to do so during the townhall, one of two held each year. It comes after the United States Justice Department dumped a round of evidence related to its investigation into Epstein. The documents included an unsent email accusing Gates of having sexual relations with two “Russian girls” and getting sexually transmitted infection.
“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” Gates said on Tuesday.
Gates also told his staff that the last time he had contact with Epstein was in 2014. “After that, he continued to email me,” he added.
“I never went to the island, I never met any women,” the tech giant said. “And so, the more that comes out, the more clear it’ll be that, although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior.”
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