Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has acknowledged having two affairs with Russian women and apologised to staff at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation over the reputational fallout from his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Gates said the relationships were consensual and unrelated to any of Epstein’s victims. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” he stated, according to reports. He also addressed photographs contained in recently released Epstein-related documents that show him alongside women whose faces were redacted, saying the images were taken at Epstein’s request following business meetings and involved the financier’s assistants.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims or the women around him,” Gates said.
The Microsoft co-founder described his association with Epstein as a significant error in judgment. “It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and to involve foundation executives in meetings with him,” he said. “I apologize to the people who were drawn into this because of the mistake I made.”
Epstein, who was convicted on sex trafficking charges, cultivated relationships with high-profile figures across business, academia and politics. Newly unsealed documents have prompted renewed scrutiny of individuals who had professional or social interactions with him, though inclusion in the files does not in itself indicate wrongdoing.
Gates has previously said his meetings with Epstein were focused on philanthropic discussions. The latest remarks mark one of his most direct public acknowledgements of personal and professional missteps related to the association.
