Updated June 10, 2026 at 12:41 PM EDT
Bill Gates appeared before members of Congress on Wednesday and said he never witnessed or knew about any of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.
Gates was on Capitol Hill to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein, as the House Oversight Committee continues its investigation into the late sex offender.
Gates is taking part in a closed-door transcribed interview. He arrived at the Capitol around 8:45 a.m. and was flanked by police officers, security and lawyers.
"I'm glad to be here voluntarily to testify to help with the committee's work," Gates told reporters. "I hope my testimony is helpful to the important work of the committee to find justice for the victims."
In the text of his prepared opening statement, Gates described how he first met Epstein in 2011 through people in his "professional and philanthropic work" on global health. He continued to have conversations with Epstein through 2014 about potential donors, according to the statement. Gates said he was aware "that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed."
"I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have," Gates said. He added that he "made it clear to Epstein from the outset that he would never play a role in any of the work or receive any compensation."
Gates said he realized in 2014 that Epstein "would never deliver on his promises" and stopped communicating or meeting with him.
"I should never have met with Epstein in the first place," Gates said. "Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the new donors he promised, it would not have justified associating with him."
The committee interview is not being recorded, in contrast to the videotaped appearances earlier this year of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the committee. The Republican-led committee will, instead, release a transcript in the days afterward, as it did after the appearances of former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Committee chair Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, told reporters that the committee planned to question Gates about his relationship with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
"What did he see? Did he know what was going on? Was he involved in any of this?" Comer said. He added that lawmakers are not accusing Gates of wrongdoing and appreciate that Gates came in voluntarily.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the lead Democrat on the committee, said Democrats are interested in "who was in Epstein's orbit."
"Anyone that was around Jeffrey Epstein, we want to hear from," Garcia said.
The Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist is one of many influential people whose names appear in the Department of Justice documents about the disgraced financier. Appearing in the files is not necessarily an indication of criminal wrongdoing.
Gates' name appears numerous times in the Epstein files. He allegedly met with Epstein multiple times after the financier's conviction in 2008 for sex crimes that involved minors. An email indicates that Gates planned to travel on Epstein's private plane in 2013. Gates also appears in photos with Epstein and others whose faces are redacted. In his opening statement, Gates did not address any travel on Epstein's plane, but said he never went to Epstein's island, ranch or Florida home.
Epstein was arrested a second time in July 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and later died in prison. Authorities determined his death was a suicide.
Gates says Epstein used information about his infidelities to pressure him
Epstein's emails also mention Gates' ex-wife, Melinda French Gates. In one instance, Epstein claims, in an email that appears to be sent to himself, that he helped Bill Gates get medication to treat an STI from "sex with Russian girls." Epstein also said that Gates had wanted to try to give that medication to French Gates in secret.
Gates did not directly address the email in his opening statement, but he said Epstein became aware of "sensitive information about my personal life," including his affairs.
"As the public can now see, based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities — in addition to many lies that he layered on top — to pressure me to re-engage with him," Gates said. "He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda."
French Gates told NPR in February that the emails in the Epstein files filled her with "unbelievable sadness" and reminded her of problems she faced in her marriage.
"Whatever questions remain there of what — I can't even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband," French Gates said. "They need to answer to those things, not me."
A spokesperson for Bill Gates also told NPR earlier this year: "These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false. The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."
Survivors of Epstein's abuse continue to call for justice and transparency from the committee's investigation. Annie Farmer, who testified publicly that Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell sexually abused her at Epstein's New Mexico ranch when she was 16, told NPR on Monday that a lot of people don't realize how long and personal Epstein and Gates' relationship was, and "it's fair" for Gates to answer questions about that connection.
"What we've seen so far is that a lot of people have taken the stance of just wanting to cover for themselves and have not offered real information," Farmer said of some of the high-profile appearances before the committee. "With each person that comes, there's an opportunity to do something different, and I hope that [Gates] chooses to do that."
Comer told reporters that he has been meeting with survivors and asking them to read the transcripts of the depositions.
"If the survivors see any things that were said in the depositions and interviews that aren't true, we're working with them to try to get evidence to figure out if the witnesses were lying," he said.
What's next for the committee's probe
On Tuesday, the committee interviewed Epstein's longtime assistant, Lesley Groff. Groff's name appears in thousands of Epstein documents, and was involved in scheduling meetings and planning times for girls to meet with Epstein. Groff denied any knowledge or participation in Epstein's crimes.
Along with Gates and Groff, this summer the committee plans to interview billionaire investor Leon Black, former Bill Clinton aide Doug Band, former Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler, and former Barclays CEO Jes Staley, according to Comer. Comer also said on Wednesday that he would be asking law professor Alan Dershowitz to come for an interview.
"The government has failed the survivors," Comer told reporters in May. "We're taking this investigation seriously."
Garcia said he also wants to subpoena both acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to testify in the investigation. Comer said he wants Blanche to come before the committee in July, but emphasized that Blanche also spoke before the committee with then-Attorney General Pam Bondi for a briefing in March. Democrats walked out of that briefing.
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