WASHINGTON – Bill Gates is set to testify before a congressional panel on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein files, marking him as the latest influential figure linked to the disgraced financier to provide testimony.
The House Oversight Committee members will conduct the interview behind closed doors, a practice consistent with their treatment of other witnesses throughout this ongoing investigation. The transcripts from these sessions are typically released to the public at a later date.
Committee chairman, Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer, formally requested Gates’ testimony after his name surfaced multiple times in a large collection of documents released by the Justice Department as part of its Epstein inquiry.
The documents feature a notable roster of powerful individuals from various sectors, including technology, finance, and politics. While all have denied any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities, some maintained relationships with him even after his history of sexual abuse became publicly known.
Among the content of the released files are calendar entries detailing meetings between Gates and Epstein, email exchanges concerning philanthropic endeavors, and photographs of Gates attending events alongside Epstein. Their professional relationship reportedly began in 2011, three years after Epstein’s guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor, and continued until at least late 2014.
Epstein was federally charged in July 2019 with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The Justice Department alleged that he orchestrated a widespread network of underage girls, some as young as 14, for sexual exploitation between 2002 and 2005. He died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.
While Gates, who leads the Gates Foundation, has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein and has publicly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse, he characterized their association as “a huge mistake.” Gates maintains that their meetings were strictly philanthropic in nature.
The implications of Gates’ ties to Epstein reportedly created strain in his marriage to Melinda French Gates, as both have acknowledged. In February, the foundation admitted that a handful of its employees had interacted with Epstein based on his claims of potential philanthropic resources for global health, although they never collaborated on a charity fund, and no payments were made to Epstein.
In March, foundation CEO Mark Suzman initiated an external review to assess the organization’s past engagement with Epstein, aiming to enhance transparency and accountability.
This investigation follows similar scrutiny faced by other prominent figures linked to Epstein. For instance, former President Bill Clinton underwent a lengthy deposition in February regarding his interactions with Epstein over two decades ago. Clinton had several encounters with Epstein during his presidency and occasionally traveled on Epstein’s private jet. He has also stated that he noticed no signs of Epstein’s misconduct and distanced himself from him long before Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea, asserting that he has not committed any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
Democrats on the House committee have sought testimony from former President Donald Trump, who also had a documented relationship with Epstein. Republicans have claimed that no evidence has surfaced indicating Trump engaged in any illicit behavior during his friendship with Epstein.
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Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City.
