Bill Gates addressed employees of the Gates Foundation in a private town hall meeting, where he openly spoke about his past links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to a spokesperson, Gates took responsibility for his actions and answered questions in detail.
The statement came after a Wall Street Journal report claimed that Gates had apologized to staff over his association with Epstein. Documents released by the US Department of Justice show that Gates and Epstein met several times after Epstein completed his prison term. Their meetings reportedly focused on philanthropy.
During the town hall, Gates admitted it was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein. He also said it was wrong to bring foundation executives into meetings with him.
"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," Gates said, according to the report.
The newspaper also reported that Gates acknowledged having two affairs with Russian women. However, he made it clear that these did not involve Epstein’s victims.
"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," Gates told staff.
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Department of Justice (DOJ) documents also included photos of Gates posing with women whose faces were blurred in the released copies. According to the report, Gates explained that Epstein had asked him to take pictures with assistants after meetings.
"To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him," he added.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed that the town hall was scheduled in advance and covered multiple issues, including the release of Epstein-related documents.
"In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," the spokesperson said. The foundation also clarified earlier this month that it never made financial payments to Epstein and never employed him.
Recently, Gates also withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit just hours before he was due to deliver a keynote speech, though no official reason was given. Founded in 2000 by Bill Gates and his former wife, the Gates Foundation is one of the world’s largest supporters of global health and development programs.
