Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told a House panel investigating the late financier Jeffrey Epstein that his meetings with the sex offender were "a grave error in judgment." Gates appeared before the House Oversight Committee on June 10, 2026, to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Gates' Opening Statement
In a written opening statement released to reporters, Gates said, "I see now that he sought to build an image of legitimacy around himself, using connections to reputable and powerful people to deflect scrutiny and attempt to rehabilitate his reputation. If the time I spent with Epstein lent him any credibility, I am deeply sorry."
Gates met with Epstein several times starting in roughly 2011, years after the financier pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution. The appearance of Gates, one of the world's richest men and a symbol of the technological revolution, underscored the broad network of connections Epstein cultivated.
Pressure and Personal Information
Gates told the panel that after he ended contact with Epstein, the financier used "sensitive information about my personal life" — including knowledge of extramarital affairs — to "pressure me to re-engage with him." Gates said those "infidelities" had "nothing to do with Epstein." However, he maintained that he never had "any indication" Epstein was involved in "ongoing criminal conduct."
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the panel, said during a break in the questioning, "Mr. Gates was aware that Jeffrey Epstein had been convicted, and for a horrific crime. He continued to interact with him. That's something that Mr. Gates has to atone for."
Release of Justice Department Files
The release of Justice Department files on Epstein, forced by an act of Congress, has spurred close public scrutiny of Epstein's past associations with powerful figures, including Britain's ex-Prince Andrew, former Harvard University President Larry Summers, President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black. Those men and Gates have denied any wrongdoing.
Committee Questions
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said before the proceedings began that the panel planned to ask Gates about notes Epstein emailed to himself in 2013, in which the financier describes giving Gates drugs "to deal with consequences of sex with russian girls" and providing antibiotics for a sexually transmitted disease Gates could "surreptitiously give to" Melinda French Gates, who was then his wife.
Representative James Walkinshaw, a Virginia Democrat on the panel, said he planned to ask Gates about an April 2018 email Epstein sent to Gates' chief of staff Larry Cohen, in which Epstein sought reimbursement for payments the financier claimed to have made to a Russian bridge player who Epstein indicated had a relationship with Gates.
Gates left the committee's offices seven hours after he arrived, surrounded by an entourage in business attire and walking silently while reporters chased after him yelling questions.
