Lawmakers escalate Epstein probe with possible Bill Gates subpoena
Bipartisan lawmakers are voicing support for Rep. Nancy Mace's, R-N.C., push to subpoena Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates over what she called "sick" allegations tied to Jeffrey Epstein — accusations his ex-wife, Melinda Gates, said he must answer for.
Those calls come as lawmakers wrestle with what Congress can do to responsibly work through the 3.5 million newly disclosed Epstein files.
"I did write a letter to [Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.] today requesting that we subpoena Bill Gates," Mace told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
"Epstein was sending emails about how he had contracted an STD, may have been involved with various women, allegedly — all allegedly. I’m not saying he did anything, but I’d like to bring him in," she said.
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Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, said he supported the idea and hinted the committee’s work could go further.
"I’ve had conversations with Chairman Comer today on some additional folks we want to talk to, and so I think there’ll be some announcements pretty soon on that," Garcia said, declining to elaborate further.
Mace’s calls for bringing in Gates for questioning come as the DOJ released a new tranche of files in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act last week. Since then, lawmakers have struggled to make sense of the deluge of images, messages, documents and files. Questions remain about how Congress can manage its focus to bring about accountability for the names that prompt the most questions.
For her part, Mace said she was left wanting answers about Bill Gates from recent interviews about his personal life.
"I watched Melinda Gates interview last night. I'm deeply disturbed. I want to bring Bill Gates in and question him about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," Mace said, referring to an interview Bill Gates' ex-wife did with NPR.
Melinda Gates was married to Bill for 27 years before the couple parted ways in 2021.
The files imply that Epstein may have helped Gates conceal sensitive information from his wife during their marriage.
In an email that Epstein sent to himself, Epstein claimed Bill Gates had asked for help slipping antibiotics to Melinda in connection to a sexually transmitted disease (STD) he had contracted. Epstein claimed Gates had also asked him to delete messages about that STD.
Bill Gates has denied any misconduct. His foundation did not respond to a request for comment about Mace's subpoena demands.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., another member of the Oversight Committee, said he supports Mace’s calls for Gates to testify. But with millions of documents and thousands of names in the mix, he also believes Congress should use some sort of process for who the committee decides to call in — and who it doesn’t.
He doesn’t have a clear-cut test that lawmakers can use to make those calls, but pointed out that some names are riper for scrutiny than others. He thinks former President Bill Clinton is one of them.
"I think that's why the first step in our committee is with the former president," Donalds said, referring to a scheduled deposition for Clinton later this month.
Lawmakers have demanded testimony from Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after new pictures placing Bill Clinton repeatedly with Epstein surfaced in the DOJ's disclosures.
None of the files implicate wrongdoing on their own, but Donalds believes they should prompt some level of congressional response, given Bill Clinton’s status.
"Bill Clinton was the president. [Epstein] was visiting his house, the president was on his plane," Donalds said. "It’s different from somebody in the private sector. They don’t have access or influence over agencies the way a former president does."
Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify before the committee on Feb. 26, and Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear on Feb. 27.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., believes there is some sort of process behind the scenes that the committee uses to determine who it may want to interview.
"With a number of witnesses, both Republicans and Democrats — they have a certain procedure that was agreed to," Krishnamoorthi said.
He did not expand on what that process looks like.
When asked about the Oversight Committee's work, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said he’s not opposed to bringing in witnesses one by one if it means going beyond the work that's already been done.
"You know, I look at Comer, who’s subpoenaing the Clintons, but nobody else. But look, we’re looking for the truth. I’m on the Rules Committee, I tried nine times to get them to vote to release the files," McGovern said, referring to the committee that safeguards what bills reach the House floor.
"I’m for full transparency. Anybody who’s involved should be questioned," he said.
Comer did not respond to a request for comment on whether he would support calls from Mace or when the committee might send out additional subpoenas in connection to Epstein.