Bill Gates will testify before a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on June 10.
The Microsoft co-founder is one of several notable persons included in documents disclosed by the US Justice Department, which expose close ties, illicit money dealings, and private images with Epstein.
The source stated that Gates will participate in a “transcribed interview,” implying that his testimony would take place in the same closed-door environment as that of former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and senator.
Gates “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee,” a spokesperson for Bill Gates said in an email to AFP.
“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work.”
Gates admitted to a “huge mistake” in associating with Epstein, admitting to having affairs with two Russian women in February but denying any involvement in the disgraced financier’s crimes.
In a draft email released by the Justice Department, Epstein accused Gates of engaging in extramarital affairs, writing that his relationship with Gates ranged from “helping Bill to get drugs in order to deal with consequences.”
Gates, 70, admitted at a town hall to two affairs. “I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” he said.
However, he denied any involvement with victims of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates told the town hall.
The software magnate stated that his friendship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting a child for prostitution.
Gates said he was aware of Epstein’s “18-month” travel ban but did not investigate his past.
He stated that his then-wife, Melinda, had worries about Epstein in 2013, but he prolonged the contact for at least another year.
