Gates Scheduled for Closed-Door House Interview on Epstein Ties

Bill Gates will sit for a voluntary transcribed interview Wednesday with the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, the latest step in a congressional review of Jeffrey Epstein’s network and the federal government’s handling of his case. The session is closed to the public, with a transcript to follow later, distinguishing it from earlier videotaped appearances by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Gates has not been accused of any crime connected to Epstein. He has stated repeatedly that he never witnessed or participated in Epstein’s illegal conduct. A spokesperson said in April that Gates “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee” and intends to answer all questions. Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., requested the interview after Gates’s name and image appeared multiple times in millions of pages of Justice Department documents released earlier this year.

The documents show that Gates and Epstein first met in person on January 31, 2011, at Epstein’s New York residence—three years after Epstein’s 2008 Florida conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Their documented contacts continued through 2014 and included emails about philanthropy and a currency bet. Gates has described the meetings as focused on global health fundraising that produced no results. He has called the association “a huge mistake” and said he was “foolish” to spend time with Epstein.

Emails Epstein sent to himself in 2013 contain unverified allegations about Gates’s personal life, including claims involving an STI and attempts to involve his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. Gates has called those claims “absolutely absurd and completely false.” The Gates Foundation has said the emails reflect Epstein’s frustration at the lack of an ongoing relationship. French Gates told NPR in February that the disclosures brought “unbelievable sadness” and recalled painful periods in her marriage.

During a February town hall with foundation staff, Gates acknowledged two extramarital affairs with Russian women that Epstein later learned about. He said the affairs did not involve any of Epstein’s victims and that he never stayed overnight at Epstein properties or visited the private island. The foundation has commissioned an external review of its past contacts with Epstein; an update is expected this summer.

Comer told reporters that “anything’s on the table” for the interview. Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said lawmakers want to know why Gates maintained contact after Epstein’s conviction became public and what he observed in Epstein’s circle. Survivor Annie Farmer, who testified about abuse by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, told NPR she hopes Gates will provide more information than previous witnesses.

Other figures already interviewed or scheduled include Les Wexner, Leon Black, Pam Bondi, Howard Lutnick, Kathryn Ruemmler, and Doug Band. Warren Buffett, a longtime Gates associate, told CNBC in March he had not spoken with Gates since the files were released and called Epstein a con man who exploited others’ weaknesses.