June 11, 2026, 10:14 amJune 11, 2026, 10:18 am
According to media reports, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates testified before a US Congress committee that he was blackmailed by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.
Epstein knew about his extramarital relationships and used them as leverage against him, Gates said on Wednesday (local time) during his voluntary testimony before the Control Committee of the US House of Representatives. However, these affairs were not connected to the Epstein case.
Gates continued that Epstein also tried to force him to resume mutual contact with “many additional lies.” However, this attempt failed. When he realized that Epstein would not keep his promises, he broke off contact, Gates said loudly BBC.
Bill Gates on the way to the hearing.Image: keystone
In a prepared statement quoted by several US media outlets, Gates said he met Epstein in 2011 but broke off contact in 2014. He initially promised him that he would be able to raise billions of dollars in donations for global health projects. But nothing ever came of it. “If the time I spent with Epstein gave him any credibility, I am deeply sorry,” Gates’ statement reportedly said. The hearing took place behind closed doors and without video recording.
The control committee in the US House of Representatives is supposed to politically examine the abuse network of the financial investor Epstein, who died in 2019. The multimillionaire from New York ran an abuse ring decades ago, to which many women and minors fell victim. Epstein is said to have abused minors himself over several years. He died in prison in 2019 at the age of 66. The autopsy report listed suicide as the cause of death.
“I have never harmed anyone.”
Bill Gates
The 70-year-old Gates reportedly admits that it was a “serious misjudgment” to meet Epstein. He said he knew about the legal allegations against Epstein, “but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed.” CNN. He never observed any criminal behavior. “I have never been to his island, his ranch or his house in Florida. I have never harmed anyone.” Before the hearing, Gates expressed the hope that his testimony would help achieve “justice for the victims.”
Republican committee chairman James Comer said before the questioning began that members of Congress wanted to know about Gates’ relationship with Epstein and his aide Ghislaine Maxwell. Comer emphasized that there were no allegations of misconduct against Gates. According to the BBC, Democrats on the committee confirmed that Gates had named names who had been in contact with Epstein, but did not publish them.
The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist is one of the richest men in the world. Like many other celebrities from numerous countries, he had contact with Epstein, according to US Justice Department files. Gates and his wife Melinda announced their divorce in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. (sda/dpa/vro)