LONDON — Bill Gates has acknowledged that Jeffrey Epstein pursued a romantic relationship with him, but the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist insists he did not return the advances. The admission comes amid renewed scrutiny of Gates’s association with the convicted sex offender. In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Gates said: “He wanted to have a relationship and I was like, ‘No.
’” The billionaire described his dealings with Epstein as “a huge mistake” and expressed regret for having met with him. Gates first encountered Epstein in 2011, after the financier had served jail time for soliciting a minor. The pair held discussions on global health and philanthropy, with Gates citing a desire to secure funding for the Gates Foundation.
Gates’s comments follow a week of disclosures regarding his involvement with Epstein, including a leaked email suggesting Gates reneged on a $2 million donation to MIT after a failed pitch for an investment vehicle. The revelations have raised questions about Gates’s judgment and the broader network of elites who engaged with Epstein. Gates’s office has repeatedly stated that his interactions with Epstein were solely philanthropic in nature.
However, analyses of flight logs and visitor records suggest more than a dozen meetings between 2011 and 2013. The admissions are unlikely to quell suspicion about the nature of their association.
