There have been a number of high profile individuals implicated alongside Jeffrey Epstein following the recent release of over three million files, yet few have drawn quite as much attention as Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the aftermath.
Gates was already speculated by many to have had some form of relationship with Epstein, yet the files not only cemented a connection between the two but also raised significant allegations surrounding the Microsoft co-founder's former marriage.
In what appears to be a resignation letter drafted by Epstein to the Gates Foundation, the convicted child sex offender alleged that Gates had affairs with 'Russian girls' who gave him an STD, and that he sought to secretly administer medication to his now ex-wife Melinda to hide this ailment.
Gates publicly responded to these allegations immediately after they were unveiled, and Melinda French Gates even offered her own thoughts on the matter, yet the tech mogul has now further addressed his relationship with Epstein in a leaked meeting with Gates Foundation staff.
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A recording obtained and analysed by the Wall Street Journal reveals Gates response to the situation, where he not only apologised for his actions in the past, but also unveiled the truth surrounding allegations of an affair.
Regarding his relationship with Epstein, Gates illustrated that he first met the financier in 2011 – three years after he was originally found guilty of soliciting a minor for prostitution – although he claims that he wasn't aware of this and only knew about some "18-month thing," noting that his then-wife Melinda highlighted her concerns in 2013.
"It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein. I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," Gates expressed during the town hall.
"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," he continued.
Gates also asserted that he "did noting illicit" and "saw nothing illicit," adding that he never spent time with any of the victims, never visited Epstein's private island, and photos of him with redacted women were with Epstein's assistants at the request of the financier.
He expressed that Epstein's association with other prestigious and powerful people "made it easier for me to fell like this was a normalized situation," yet notes that his own association with the child sex offender likely had a similar effect for others considering his stature.
Arguably the biggest revelation of this meeting, however, related to the aforementioned allegations of infidelity, which Gates has now confirmed to be true.
"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," Gates unveiled, addressing not, however, the situation involving an STD and medication which he has previously denied.