Bill Gates Admits ‘Huge Mistake’ Over Meetings With Jeffrey Epstein

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has acknowledged making mistakes in his past association with late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling employees of the Gates Foundation that he takes full responsibility for his actions.

According to a statement sent to Reuters by a foundation spokesperson on Tuesday, Gates addressed the issue during a scheduled town hall meeting with staff, where he responded to questions about recently released Epstein-related documents.

The comments followed a report by The Wall Street Journal, which said Gates apologised to employees during the internal meeting for his past ties to Epstein. The newspaper cited a recording of the session in which Gates described spending time with Epstein as a “huge mistake,” particularly bringing foundation executives into meetings with him.

“I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates reportedly told staff.

Documents previously released by the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that Gates and Epstein met multiple times after Epstein had served a prison sentence. The meetings reportedly focused on discussions about expanding Gates’ philanthropic initiatives.

During the town hall, Gates reportedly told employees that while Epstein had become aware of two affairs he had with Russian women, the relationships did not involve Epstein’s victims.

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates was quoted as saying.

The DOJ documents also included photographs of Gates posing with women whose faces were redacted. According to the Journal, Gates said the images were taken at Epstein’s request with his assistants following meetings.

“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates reportedly added.

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed that Gates spoke candidly during the town hall, addressing a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, and took responsibility for his past decisions.

The foundation also reiterated that it never made financial payments to Epstein and never employed him at any time.

Epstein died in 2019 while in federal custody awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.