Bill Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, will appear before a House committee June 10 to discuss his connection to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to two people familiar with the committee’s scheduling.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is looking into the Justice Department’s investigation of the deceased financier. In March, the committee wrote to Gates, requesting that he testify about his connection to Epstein. The businessman was among seven people called to testify before the panel.
Gates, a former associate of Epstein’s, is pictured in photographs and named in files related to the late financier. The tech mogul has said that he regrets meeting with Epstein, calling his relationship with the sex offender — which began after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes — “a huge mistake.”
“Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee,” a spokesperson said. “While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work.”
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to two charges of soliciting prostitution, including one involving a minor. He was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in federal custody that year. His death was ruled a suicide. Judges and lawmakers say that, over decades, he abused, trafficked and molested scores of girls, many of whom have come forward in court and in other public forums.
News of Gates’ appearance before the House Oversight Committee follows an announcement that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will also testify before the panel as part of its investigation. Lutnick, a former Manhattan neighbor of Epstein’s, faced growing bipartisan pressure to testify about his ties to Epstein: Justice Department documents suggested the commerce secretary stayed in touch with the financier despite claiming to have put distance between them. Lutnick did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During a February appearance before a House subcommittee, Lutnick said he and his family had lunch with Epstein on the financier’s Caribbean island but denied having a meaningful relationship with the convicted sex offender.
Epstein maintained contact with influential tech figures, including Gates, after serving time in a Florida county jail on prostitution charges.
Gates in 2021 acknowledged that they met for “several dinners” that he hoped would be advantageous to his philanthropic efforts, but that the relationship ended after it looked like the prospect of funding “wasn’t a real thing.”
Photos from Epstein’s estate released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in December showed Gates posing alongside Epstein’s longtime pilot in front of a private jet. Another photo shows Gates alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain’s King Charles III, who was stripped of his royal titles over his links to Epstein and arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
In February, Gates apologized to the staff of his namesake foundation over his ties to Epstein, acknowledging that he had two extramarital affairs with Russian women whom Epstein appeared to have discovered. Gates maintained that he did not do or witness anything “illicit” and said his affairs did not involve Epstein’s victims.
This story was originally published at washingtonpost.com. Read it here.
