Bill Gates 'took responsibility' over Epstein ties as bill gates apologizes to staff

bill gates told staff at his charitable foundation that he "took responsibility for his actions" and addressed his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a scheduled town hall, the foundation said. The Microsoft co-founder, 70, apologised to employees and also discussed the release of files related to Epstein.

Town hall with foundation staff

The foundation said the event was a scheduled town hall that Bill holds twice a year, and that in the conversation he answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation's work in AI, and the future of global health. The foundation spokesperson said Bill spoke candidly, addressed several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.

Bill Gates meeting details with staff

The reviewed a recording of Gates's remarks and said he apologised to staff, admitting he had two affairs with Russian women which Epstein later found out about. Gates told staff he met Epstein in 2011, years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution, and that they continued to meet through 2014. He said he spent time with Epstein abroad but added he "never stayed overnight" or visited Epstein's island.

Admissions and denials at town hall

Gates apologised to "other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made, " and characterised spending time with Epstein and bringing foundation executives to Epstein meetings as a "huge mistake. " He said he "did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit, " and insisted he "never spent any time with victims, the women around him. " The said the files included images of Gates with women whose faces are redacted; Gates told staff that Epstein had asked him to take those photos with his assistants after meetings.

Timeline of meetings with Epstein

Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011, and that he was aware of some "18-month thing" that had limited Epstein's travel but that he did not properly check Epstein's background. Epstein told him he had links with other billionaires and suggested he could help raise money for charitable causes Gates was engaged with. Gates said Epstein spoke about the "intimate relationship he had with a lot of billionaires, particularly Wall Street billionaires, " and that the presence of other prestigious figures at meetings made it feel normalized.

Foundation response and Melinda's reaction

The recording reviewed by the Journal also includes Gates addressing specific allegations in files released by the US Department of Justice in January. Those files contained emails in which Epstein wrote that Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted infection and requested antibiotics to give to his then-wife, Melinda; Gates has denied that allegation. An image from the Epstein files was released by the US House Oversight Committee in December last year.

The Journal said Gates described his two affairs in more detail, saying one was with a Russian bridge player he met at bridge events and the other with a Russian nuclear physicist he met through business activities. The Journal also reported that Epstein tried to extort Gates over the alleged affair with the bridge player, named Mila Antonova, after Epstein could not persuade Gates to join a multibillion charity fund Epstein had tried to establish; the tone of the message, the Journal said, was that Epstein knew about the affair and could expose it.

Gates has come under renewed scrutiny following the release of the files. The Microsoft co-founder, 70, has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims. Gates established his philanthropic organisation alongside his then wife, Melinda French Gates; they divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. In an interview on an NPR podcast earlier this month, Melinda said the latest release of files dredged up "painful times in my marriage. "

In the town hall, Gates also said the relationship with Epstein was "the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation, " noting that the foundation's work is reputationally sensitive and that people can choose whether to work with the foundation or not.

Gates reiterated that he took responsibility for his actions, apologised to those affected, and answered detailed questions from staff about the Epstein files, the foundation's priorities in AI, and the future of global health.

Unclear in the provided context: the specific dates of the town hall meeting and the exact content of every item in the released files beyond what is described above.