Bill Gates Addresses Jeffrey Epstein Relationship After New Files Surface
Bill Gates has addressed renewed scrutiny surrounding his past association with Jeffrey Epstein following the release of new Epstein-related files. The files reference several high-profile individuals and have reignited public attention on Epstein’s network in the years before his death.
The new documents include allegations suggesting Gates concealed a sexually transmitted infection from his former wife, Melinda French Gates, after interactions with women described in the files as “Russian girls.” Gates’ office rejected the claim, calling it “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
Until recently, Gates had not publicly responded in detail to the allegations. However, during an interview with Australia’s 9News on Wednesday, the 70-year-old denied the assertions and described them as false. During the interview, Gates addressed an alleged 2013 email linked to Epstein that claimed Gates attempted to secretly provide antibiotics to Melinda French Gates in case she contracted an infection. Gates stated the email was fabricated and never sent.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false,” Gates said.
Gates added that he does not know why Epstein would have created the email or what his intent was in doing so.
“I don’t know what he was thinking. Was he trying to attack me in some way? Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that.” Gates’ comments marked one of his most direct public responses regarding Epstein since the financier’s death in 2019.
Melinda French Gates Speaks on the Impact of Epstein Ties on Their Marriage
Gates’ remarks followed comments made by Melinda French Gates during an interview with NPR’s Wild Card podcast on Tuesday. She spoke about how the continued discussion of Epstein has affected her personally.
“For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage,” she said on NPR’s Wild Card podcast.
“Whatever questions remain there of what – I can’t even begin to know all of it – those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”
Bill and Melinda French Gates were married for 27 years before announcing their divorce in 2021.
Gates Says He Never Visited Epstein’s Private Island
Gates stated that he first met Epstein in 2011 and had several dinners with him. According to Gates, the meetings were centered on potential investments in global health and scientific research initiatives.
He said he never traveled to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, where numerous girls and young women have alleged abuse occurred, and denied having any personal relationships with women connected to Epstein.
“The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end,” Gates said.
“I was foolish to spend time with him. I’m just one of many people who regret ever knowing him. The more that comes out, the clearer it will be that, while the time was a mistake, it has nothing to do with that kind of behavior.”
Epstein Files Renew Public Scrutiny Years After His Death
The renewed attention comes more than six years after Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. Since then, multiple document releases and investigations have continued to surface information about Epstein’s associations.
NPR is expected to release a full interview with both Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates on Thursday. The network previously shared excerpts and a three-minute video clip, in which Melinda French Gates described the release of the Epstein files and the renewed attention as a “reckoning as a society.”