Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of alleged sexual assault, with details.
Bill Gates faced tough questions over his past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of running a vast sex-trafficking operation.
Bill Gates addresses his past meetings with Jeffrey Epstein on CNN
The 70-year-old tech tycoon found himself at the center of the scandal after his name appeared in the Epstein case files. The documents released by the Justice Department included photos of Gates with Epstein and correspondence between them. Gates has denied any wrongdoing and stated he was not aware of Epstein’s illegal conduct.
On August 26, the Microsoft co-founder appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 to raise concerns about the risks associated with artificial intelligence. But the interview eventually took a different turn. Cooper shifted the conversation to Gates’ past connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
The CNN host questioned him about a series of “graphic, unverified” allegations that Epstein appeared to have written about him in unsent draft emails from 2013. Cooper asked Gates if he thought Epstein was trying to “blackmail” him. Gates replied, “No.” He said the testimony contained “several hundred pages” and was complicated.
Gates said, as quoted by RadarOnline, “I didn’t know that he was considering blackmailing me. He never did blackmail me, but, you know, it just shows how foolish I was to spend time with him.” He further stated, “I went through every single meeting, every single email. I didn’t have a social relationship. I didn’t meet any women through him.” Gates added that the committee’s findings are “all public” for anyone who is “curious” to review.
The interview is Gates’ first television appearance since the grilling by the House Oversight Committee. He previously acknowledged having affairs with two Russian women. But allegations in Epstein’s unsent draft emails went further. Epstein claimed that Gates had contracted an STD from the woman. He also alleged that Gates wanted antibiotics to give to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, without her knowledge. Gates has denied the claims. His ex-wife split from him in May 2021 after 27 years together, citing a lack of honesty as one of the reasons for their divorce.
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