Bill Gates “took responsibility for his actions” over ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, according to a spokesperson for the charity group, who said in a written statement to Reuters.
The spokesperson’s comments were in response to a Wall Street Journal report, which stated that Gates had apologised to staff during the town hall.
Recent documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated that Gates and Epstein frequently met after Epstein’s prison term to discuss expanding the Gates Foundation’s philanthropic efforts.
No Involvement in Illicit Activities
The Journal’s report stated that Gates told staff that it was a huge mistake to have spent time with Epstein and to bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with him. The report cited a recording of Gates’ comments from the town hall.
“I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” he said, according to the newspaper.
Gates went on to acknowledge that he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein had discovered but clarified that they did not involve Epstein’s victims.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates told the staff, according to the report.
The declassified documents released by the DOJ included photos of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces were redacted. Gates previously stated that his relationship with Epstein was limited to philanthropy-related discussions and reiterated that it was a mistake to meet with him.
According to the Journal, Gates told staff that the images were photos Epstein requested he take with Epstein’s assistants after their meetings.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates added.
No Payments from the Foundation to Epstein
The spokesperson told Reuters that Gates held a scheduled town hall with his employees and answered questions regarding a range of issues, including those pertaining to the release of Epstein files.
“In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”
The spokesperson added that the statement made by the Gates Foundation acknowledged what was shared by the billionaire during the town hall.
Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation stated that it did not make any payments to Epstein or employ him at any point.
(With inputs from Reuters)
