'Did have affairs but ...': Bill Gates admits he was involved with Russian women, apologises to foundation over Epstein links

Bill Gates

• Bill Gates apologized to staff for meetings with Jeffrey Epstein
• Gates denied any wrongdoing, saw nothing illicit with Epstein
• He admitted two affairs but said they were unrelated to Epstein

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Bill Gates has apologised to staff at the Gates Foundation over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while maintaining that he engaged in no wrongdoing, The Wall Street Journal reported quoting sources.

Citing a recording of a recent town hall meeting, WSJ reported that Gates acknowledged errors in judgment over meeting Epstein and said he regretted the impact the relationship had on the Foundation’s reputation.

“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with him, Gates said. “I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”

Gates also addressed newly released documents from the US Justice Department — commonly referred to as the “Epstein files” — that include emails, call logs, interview transcripts and photographs involving Epstein and prominent figures. Some names in the records were redacted.

Gates said images in the files showing him with women whose faces are redacted were taken at Epstein’s request following meetings. “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates said, as quoted by the Journal. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”

He also disclosed that he had two affairs with Russian women, which Epstein later became aware of, but said they did not involve Epstein’s victims. “I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” Gates said, according to the newspaper.

Gates told the staff that he first met Epstein in 2011, three years after the sex offender pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Gates admitted he did not “properly check” Epstein’s background, even though he was aware of what he described as an “18-month thing” that had restricted Epstein’s travel.

He said he continued meeting Epstein through 2014, including flying on a private jet and spending time with him in Germany, France, New York and Washington. “I never stayed overnight,” Gates said, or visited Epstein’s island.

Gates also acknowledged that his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, had expressed concerns about Epstein as early as 2013. “To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,” he said.

Gates said Epstein had spoken about his “intimate relationship” with several billionaires, particularly on Wall Street, and suggested he could help raise funds for causes such as global health, the report said. He added that the presence of other prominent individuals at meetings made it feel like “a normalized situation.”

He also admitted that his association may have inadvertently benefited Epstein.

The Microsoft co-founder said that the controversy has cast a shadow over the Foundation. “It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” he said. “And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told WSJ that Gates holds town halls twice a year and that he “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”

Epstein died in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges, according to US media reports.