Bill Gates has apologized to staff of the Gates Foundation over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, admitting he made mistakes that had cast a cloud over the philanthropic group while insisting he didn’t participate in Epstein’s crimes. Gates bizarrely stated, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” showing a very different definition of the word illicit from that of typical Americans.
The Wall Street Journal reports that during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates acknowledged that he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but that they didn’t involve Epstein’s victims. Gates addressed the controversy in a wide-ranging discussion with foundation staff, seeking to clarify his relationship with the convicted sex offender and take responsibility for his actions.
According to a recording reviewed by the Journal, Gates claimed, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” He explained that images in the recently released Epstein files showing him with women whose faces are redacted were pictures that Epstein asked him to take with Epstein’s assistants after their meetings. Gates emphasized that he never spent any time with victims or the women around Epstein.
The billionaire characterized his association with Epstein as a huge mistake, particularly regarding bringing Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates said during the town hall.
Gates revealed that he met with Epstein starting in 2011, which was years after Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He acknowledged being aware of some limited restriction on Epstein’s travel but admitted he didn’t properly check his background. Despite concerns expressed by his then-wife Melinda French Gates in 2013, Gates continued meeting with Epstein.
Reflecting on his actions, Gates told staff that knowing what he knows now makes the situation far worse, not only because of Epstein’s past crimes but also because it has become clear there was ongoing bad behavior. He gave credit to his ex-wife, noting that she was always skeptical about the Epstein connection.
Gates provided details about the extent of his relationship with Epstein, telling staff that he continued meeting with him through 2014. During this period, he flew on a private jet with Epstein and spent time with him in Germany, France, New York, and Washington, though he stated he never stayed overnight or visited Epstein’s island.
According to Gates, Epstein discussed the intimate relationships he had with numerous billionaires, particularly those on Wall Street, and suggested he could help raise money for causes like global health. The presence of other prestigious people at these meetings made it easier for Gates to feel like the situation was normalized, though he now recognizes that his association also helped Epstein burnish his reputation.
The Microsoft co-founder admitted that his ties to Epstein and newly disclosed emails from the Justice Department files had cast a cloud over the Gates Foundation and its reputation. “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.”
During the town hall, Gates opened up about his personal life, revealing that he had affairs with a Russian bridge player who met him at bridge events and a Russian nuclear physicist who he met through business activities. He explained that Boris Nikolic, his then science adviser who was close to both Gates and Epstein, knew of those affairs and told Epstein about them. The physicist worked at one of Gates’s companies, though it remains unclear if the affair occurred while she was his employee.
The latest release of the Epstein files contained shocking allegations against Gates, including the claim that he was planning on secretly drugging his wife to cure an STD before she was diagnosed:
In the 2013 email — written seemingly in the voice of one of Gates’ top advisers, Boris Nikolic, but sent only to Epstein himself — the disgraced financier and convicted sex predator wrote that the Microsoft co-founder was trying “to get drugs in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls.”
Epstein added that the billionaire had also asked to be provided with antibiotics so that he could secretly drug his then-wife, Melinda Gates.
The email appears to be notes Epstein drafted for Gates’ longtime adviser, Boris Nikolic, who seemingly sought to announce his intent to resign from both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Ventures after some type of dispute.
Epstein’s email began with a lengthy rant to Gates — in Nikolic’s voice — declaring, “I cannot believe that you have chosen to disregard our friendship” after the Microsoft co-founder asked him “to be the major actor in a cover up so that you can maintain the reputation that you have worked so hard to achieve.”
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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