Bill Gates has spoken out after his name appeared in newly released Jeffrey Epstein files. The Microsoft co-founder said he deeply regrets ever spending time with the late sex offender. Gates called his past interactions with Epstein “foolish” and said he “regrets every minute” he spent with him.
In an interview with a news channel, Gates said the meetings with Epstein were a mistake. “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that,” he said. “It just reminds me, I regret every minute I spent with him.”
Bill Gates Denies Serious Allegations
As per reports, Bill Gates also denied any of the more extreme allegations that came up in the documents. Some draft emails in the files appeared to make claims about Gates’ personal life, but he said those emails were false. “Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false. So, I don’t know what his thinking was there,” Gates said. “Was he trying to attack me in some way?”
The documents included claims about Epstein’s feelings toward Bill Gates and even suggested Gates had personal issues tied to Epstein’s circle. According to reports, Gates said he only met Epstein after Epstein’s conviction in 2008, and that they ate dinners together from 2011 to around 2014. “The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health,” Gates said. “In retrospect, that was a dead end. I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him.”
‘Never Went to the Island,’ Bill Gates Says
Bill Gates said he never visited Epstein’s private island and never met any women through Epstein, countering claims in the files that tried to paint a different picture. “I never went to the island, I never met any women,” he added. “And so, the more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior,” according to Australia’s 9News.
Gates’ ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, also reacted to the new files in a separate interview on NPR’s Wild Card podcast. She called the latest details “very, very painful” and said reading about the allegations brought back hard memories from their marriage. “Whatever questions remain, those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me,” she said.
Epstein Files Name Powerful Figures
The US Department of Justice has released millions of pages of Epstein-related documents, and many powerful figures are named in them. Others, including former President Bill Clinton, have agreed to testify before Congress.
Bill Gates’ statements are some of the first personal remarks he has made since his name appeared again in the Epstein files.
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