Bill Gates is scheduled to testify in a closed-door session today before the U.S. House Oversight Committee regarding his past relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein [1, 2, 3, 4]. The committee requested Gates’s appearance in March 2026 after the Department of Justice released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein, which included correspondence mentioning Gates and photos from meetings [1, 2].
Gates denies any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and says he never witnessed or participated in any illegal activities connected to Epstein. A spokesperson said Gates “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee and while he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work” [2].
Gates has publicly expressed regret about ever associating with Epstein, describing the relationship as foolish. He said in a statement, “我後悔曾與他有所往來，我為此道歉…我確實只參加過晚餐聚會。我從未去過他的小島，也從沒見過任何女性” (I regret having any dealings with him and apologize… I only attended dinners. I never went to his island or saw any women connected to him) [1, 2, 3, 4].
A 2013 email draft included in the documents reportedly shows Epstein attempting to help Gates covertly handle an extramarital affair and seek antibiotics after a sexually transmitted infection. Gates calls the email fake and denies those allegations, stating the email is “伪造文件” (forged documents) [1, 3, 4]. He admits to extramarital relations with two Russian women but denies any contact with Epstein’s victims [1, 3, 4].
Gates's relationship with Epstein started in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution [1, 3, 4]. Gates’s then-wife Melinda French Gates expressed concern about the relationship as early as 2013, but Gates maintained contact with Epstein for at least another year; Melinda divorced Gates in 2021 [1, 3, 4].
The Gates Foundation briefly interacted with Epstein based on claims he could help mobilize philanthropic funds, but no funding partnership was ever established. In April 2026, the foundation commissioned an external review to assess past engagement with Epstein and its current policies for vetting philanthropic partners [2].
Gates has hired former DOJ lawyer John Moran as legal counsel and is assisted by Jake Greenberg, a senior former House Oversight investigator, in preparing for his testimony [3, 4]. Other figures, including Bill and Hillary Clinton and financier Howard Lutnick, have also been questioned by the committee about their connections to Epstein [3, 4].
