Tech magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates has publicly addressed the fresh allegations linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after new US Department of Justice documents were released. The 70-year-old billionaire says that he deeply regrets ever spending time with Epstein, and that he ‘never went to the island’ and had no part in ‘that kind of behaviour’. Speaking during a visit to Australia, Gates said that his past meetings with the late Epstein were a big mistake. (Picture: REUTERS)
Gates spoke during what was described as his only Australian television interview, recorded while he was in the country during the Australian Open, Daily Mail reports. Reflecting on his past judgement, he said that Jeffrey Epstein presented himself as someone who could connect wealthy donors to global health causes. Gates told 9News: ‘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.’ He added that this promise ultimately led nowhere and left him with a lasting regret that he holds to this day. (Picture: US House Oversight Committee Democrats/PA Wire)
He said: ‘You know, in retrospect, that was a dead end and I was foolish to spend time with him. I am one of many people who regret ever knowing him.’ The Microsoft co-founder added: ‘I was only at dinners… I never went to the island, I never met any women, and so, you know, 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.’ (Picture: The Daily Stardust)
Gates also went on to address some of the claims contained in a email attributed to Epstein, which appears in the newly-released documents. ‘Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is, you know, false. I don’t know what his thinking was there. Every minute that I spent with him, I regret and I apologise that I did that,’ he said. (Picture: House Oversight Committee)
The draft email, from 2013, allegedly references Gates and his then-wife Melinda. The text, complete with Epstein’s now-infamous litany of spelling errors and typos, reads: ‘TO add insult to injury you them implore me to please delete the emails mails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda and the description of your penis.’ Another section says Epstein was ‘dismayed beyond comprehension’ by Gates’s decision to ‘disregard’ their friendship. (Picture: Handout)
These emails were among hundreds of thousands of Epstein-related files published by the Justice Department on Friday. A spokesperson for Gates previously denied the allegations that stemmed from Epstein’s emails. In a statement to Daily Mail, they said: ‘These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false. The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.’ (Picture: House Oversight Committee)
Melinda Gates, who divorced Bill back in 2021, has also spoken publicly following the document release. Appearing on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, she said those mentioned should address the allegations directly. ‘I think we’re having a reckoning as a society, right? No girl, no girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him,’ she said. (Picture: Shutterstock/Getty Images)
‘It’s beyond heartbreaking. I remember being those ages those girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages,’ she said. ‘So, for me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up.’ She added that her thoughts were firmly with Epstein’s victims. Melinda and Bill Gates were married from 1994 until their divorce 27 years later. (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The Clooney Foundation For Justice )Add as preferred source