Bill Gates has publicly expressed regret over his past interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling their association a “serious error in judgment.” His remarks follow the U.S. Department of Justice’s release of new documents detailing Epstein’s network of contacts.
In an interview with 9News Australia, Gates said he regretted “every minute” spent with Epstein and apologized for the association. He firmly rejected claims in Epstein-drafted emails alleging extramarital affairs or treatment for a sexually transmitted infection, calling the messages “false” and questioning Epstein’s motives. A Gates spokesperson said the documents reflect “Epstein’s frustration that he never secured a closer relationship” with Gates and described the emails as efforts to “entrap and defame” him. Gates said he attended only a few dinners with Epstein and never visited Epstein’s private island. Gates’s ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, said the Epstein revelations reopened “painful times in my marriage.” In a podcast interview, she noted that the newly released files leave questions for those directly involved, including her former husband. “Whatever questions remain… they need to be answered by those people, not me,” she said. The documents, part of a cache totaling millions of pages, include Epstein-drafted emails alleging misconduct by Gates. Experts warn that Epstein often sent or drafted misleading or manipulative messages, and there is no evidence linking Gates to criminal activity. Although the emails have fueled intense media scrutiny, neither Gates nor others named in the files have been accused by Epstein’s victims. The focus has shifted to the reputational damage of being associated with Epstein’s network and the lingering questions facing those once connected to him. Gates’s public acknowledgment is among his most direct statements about Epstein, reflecting a rare willingness to confront a controversial chapter of his past while maintaining that he was never involved in Epstein’s crimes.
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