Bill Gates acknowledges affairs when he was married, but denies involvement in Epstein’s crimes

The Microsoft co-founder is one of the most prominent figures who appear in the Epstein file documents published by the United States Department of Justice, which reveal close friendships, illicit financial agreements and private photos.

At a Gates Foundation employee general meeting on Tuesday, a recording of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Gates expressed regret that his relationship with Epstein had affected the work of his philanthropic organization.

“It was a big mistake to spend time with Epstein” and arrange meetings between foundation executives and the financier, Gates said.

In a draft of an email published by the Department of Justice, Epstein claimed that Gates had extramarital affairs. He wrote that his relationship with Gates ranged from “helping Bill obtain drugs to deal with the consequences of having sex with Russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts with married women.”

Gates, 70, acknowledged two affairs at the assembly.

“I did have love affairs; one with a Russian bridge player, whom I met at bridge events, and another with a Russian nuclear physicist, whom I met in business activities,” he said.

But he denied any relationship with victims of Epstein, who was found dead in a New York jail in 2019, while waiting to be tried for sex trafficking of minors.

“I didn’t do anything illegal. I didn’t see anything illegal,” Gates said at the meeting.

The technology entrepreneur said his relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

“Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, 100 times worse, not only in terms of his past crimes, but now it’s clear that there was ongoing misconduct,” Gates told staff.

“Bill spoke candidly, addressed several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions,” the Gates Foundation said in a statement sent to AFP.