Bill Gates Apologizes, Makes Major Admission After Epstein Scandal Explodes

Bill Gates acknowledged to Gates Foundation employees that he had affairs with two Russian women while emphasizing they were not connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, according to a Wall Street Journal report on a staff town hall this week.

Addressing employees Tuesday, the Microsoft co-founder described his past interactions with Epstein as a serious error in judgment and offered an apology.

“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates said, according to a recording referenced by the Journal.

Gates also spoke about his personal life during the session.

“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities.”

He maintained that he engaged in no illegal conduct and said he never observed inappropriate behavior involving Epstein.

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said. “To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him.”

Previously disclosed U.S. Department of Justice materials indicate Gates met Epstein on several occasions after Epstein completed a prison sentence tied to soliciting a minor. Those meetings were described as relating to philanthropy.

The records included photos showing Gates alongside women whose faces were redacted. Gates said at the town hall that the pictures were taken at Epstein’s request with Epstein’s assistants following meetings, the Journal reported.

Gates said his meetings with Epstein began in 2011, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. He conceded that he knew Epstein had been subject to travel restrictions but admitted he did not fully vet Epstein’s background.

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“Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior,” Gates told staff.

He said he remained in contact with Epstein through 2014, flew on Epstein’s private jet and met with him in multiple locations, including New York and Washington, as well as overseas.

“I never stayed overnight,” Gates said, adding that he never visited Epstein’s private island.

Epstein with Gates (DOJ)

Gates also noted that his former wife had expressed doubts about Epstein.

“To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing.”

Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Gates’s ties to Epstein were widely reported to have created friction in his marriage. Melinda French Gates later referred to Epstein as “evil personified.”

The couple divorced in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, stating they could no longer “grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”

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The Journal previously reported that Epstein later sought to pressure Gates regarding his association with Mila Antonova, identified as the Russian bridge player. Epstein allegedly encountered Antonova while pursuing support for a bridge academy and later funded her enrollment in a software coding program.

In a 2013 email to a senior Gates adviser, Epstein allegedly mentioned two women he claimed Gates had been involved with during his marriage, warning they risked “becoming overnight sensations.”

Gates said the nuclear physicist had worked at one of his companies, though it remains unclear whether their relationship overlapped with her employment. Boris Nikolic, who had connections to both men, was aware of the relationships and later informed Epstein, according to the report.

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed the town hall took place.

“In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier this month, the foundation stated it made no payments to Epstein and never employed him.

Founded in 2000, the Gates Foundation remains one of the largest financial backers of global health initiatives.

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