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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will be interviewed by members of the House Oversight Committee today as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
The interview will take place behind closed doors and will be transcribed, the committee’s chairman, James Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter in March requesting the billionaire philanthropist’s testimony. Gates has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
A spokesperson for Gates told NBC News last night that “Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee.”
“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,” the spokesperson added.
Gates, whose name was mentioned in the Epstein files, has said that he “regrets every minute” he spent with the late convicted sex offender, whom he met in 2011. In the files, Epstein appeared to suggest in an email he sent to himself that Gates was having extramarital affairs and seeking drugs. Gates called the contents of the unsent email “false” and said he was “foolish” to have spent time with him. A Gates spokesperson also denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
Gates said he had “a number of dinners” with Epstein, and the focus of their conversations was on finding philanthropic contributions to global health initiatives. He said he never traveled to Epstein’s private island.
Gates later told Gates Foundation staffers that he previously had two affairs, but they did not involve women around Epstein, The Wall Street Journal reported in February, citing a recording of a town hall during which he also apologized for his ties to Epstein.
Gates maintained that he “did nothing illicit” and “saw nothing illicit,” the Journal reported.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he said, according to the Journal.