Bill Gates testifies before Congress: Epstein blackmailed him with affairs

In a statement to the committee, Gates said Epstein had tried to pressure him to force renewed cooperation. "Epstein tried to use information about my infidelity – in addition to the many lies he told about it – to pressure me into working with him again," according to a statement submitted to the committee. Gates also stated: "I hope my testimony helps the committee's important work of finding justice for the victims."

Background: Epstein's conviction and re-arrest

Upon his arrival at the Capitol, Gates described it as a mistake to have met Epstein at all. "I should never have met Epstein," the 70-year-old said. At the same time, he rejected allegations that he had known about or participated in Epstein's crimes. Gates said that at the time of the meetings, he had not fully grasped the extent of Epstein's offenses. According to his statements, the contacts served exclusively as discussions about possible funding for global health projects and ended in 2014.

Gates acknowledged having had affairs with two Russian women. "These affairs had nothing to do with my contacts with Epstein, but they were painful for my family," he said, according to a pre-released version of his opening statement. In a draft of an email that appeared in the most recently released Epstein files, Epstein wrote that he had helped Gates "get medicines to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls."

The newly released Epstein files

The background to the hearing is the recently released Epstein files, in which Gates' name also appears. The documents show that Gates and Epstein met several times after Epstein's first prison sentence in 2008. That same year, Epstein had been convicted in the United States for soliciting a minor for prostitution but, under a controversial deal with prosecutors, had served only 13 months in prison.

Jeffrey Epstein was re-arrested in 2019, this time on charges of sexual abuse of minors. About a month after his re-arrest, he was found dead in his New York prison cell. According to official statements, Epstein died by suicide. Epstein was suspected of having sexually abused more than a thousand minors and young women and of having arranged some of them for prominent individuals.

Reactions and further proceedings

In recent weeks, the committee has questioned former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, among others. Gates' testimony is part of a series of prominent witnesses who are to be heard regarding their contacts with Epstein. Gates is co-founder of the software company Microsoft and is described in the article as a billionaire.

According to a statement, the committee is dealing with the recently released Epstein files and is investigating whether there was any misconduct at the federal level in handling the Epstein and Maxwell cases. Gates said that in his meetings with Epstein, they had always discussed ways to finance global health projects. A statement from Microsoft on the allegations was not initially available. The congressional investigation is ongoing.