Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is scheduled for a transcribed interview with lawmakers after Justice Department documents renewed scrutiny of his past association with Jeffrey Epstein.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Bill Gates is expected to appear Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee for questioning about his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.
The Microsoft co-founder and one of the world’s wealthiest men is set to sit for a transcribed interview as congressional investigators continue examining Epstein’s network and the powerful figures who had contact with him.
Gates follows several prominent individuals who have already testified before the panel, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaire Les Wexner and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The committee sought Gates’ testimony after documents released by the Justice Department brought renewed attention to his contacts with Epstein. A Gates spokesperson told AFP that Gates welcomed the opportunity to speak with lawmakers and said he had “never witnessed or participated in Epstein’s illegal conduct.”
The Epstein-related materials include a 2013 draft email in which Epstein appeared to suggest he had helped Gates address fallout from extramarital affairs, including by seeking antibiotics after a sexually transmitted infection.
Gates has denied the allegations and called the email fake. In a February interview with Australian television, he said it was “foolish” to associate with Epstein but said their relationship was not connected to Epstein’s criminal conduct.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that… It’s factually true that I was only at dinners. I never went to (his) island, I never met any women,” Gates said.
Gates also apologized in February to employees of the Gates Foundation over his exposed ties to Epstein. At the time, he said his relationship with Epstein lasted from 2011 to 2014. He also reportedly admitted to foundation staff that he “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.”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., requested Gates’ interview in a March 3 letter.
“Due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation,” Comer wrote.
A transcribed interview is not the same as a public hearing. Such interviews are typically conducted with lawmakers, committee staff, attorneys and the witness present, with transcripts sometimes released later.
The committee’s questions are expected to focus on what Gates knew about Epstein, what interactions he had with him and whether Gates has information relevant to the panel’s broader inquiry.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. His death and his connections to wealthy and politically connected individuals have remained the subject of public scrutiny and congressional interest.
Simply appearing in Epstein-related documents does not indicate evidence of a crime or wrongdoing.
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