In a statement that has sent shockwaves through the philanthropic world, Bill Gates has admitted that Jeffrey Epstein sought a ‘personal relationship’ with him, but insists he never reciprocated. The admission comes as UK charity donors express growing unease over the Microsoft founder’s links to the convicted sex offender.
Sources close to Gates confirm that the admission was made during a private briefing with senior staff at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “He told us Epstein wanted a closer relationship, but Bill made it clear nothing happened,” one insider told this reporter. “But the question is why he didn’t cut all ties the moment Epstein’s history became known.”
Documents uncovered by this publication show that Gates and Epstein met on multiple occasions after Epstein’s 2008 federal conviction for soliciting a minor. In 2011, Gates flew on Epstein’s private jet to a meeting in Palm Beach. The following year, Epstein visited Gates’s office in Seattle. Emails obtained under freedom of information laws reveal Epstein advising Gates on tax strategy and philanthropy.
“Why would a man worth $100 billion need financial advice from a convicted paedophile?” asks Dr. Sarah Collings, a donor to the Gates Foundation in London. “It’s deeply troubling. I’m reconsidering my annual contribution.”
The Gates Foundation, which has received over £2 billion from UK donors since 2010, has not commented on whether any of those funds were used in connection with Epstein. But internal emails show Epstein’s financial team worked on a “multi-billion dollar partnership” with Gates’s investment firm. The deal never closed, but the association is enough to unsettle many.
Gates’s spokesman told me: “Bill had several dinners with Epstein to discuss philanthropy. In retrospect, it was a mistake to meet with him. Any suggestion of a sexual relationship is categorically false.”
But for UK charity donors, the denial rings hollow. “He’s only saying this because the story came out,” says James Hartley, a retired teacher who has donated £50,000 to the foundation. “The fact that he hid the extent of their contact for years says a lot about his judgment.”
This is not the first time Gates’s Epstein ties have surfaced. In 2019, the New York Times reported that Gates had met with Epstein a dozen times over several years. But the admission that Epstein sought a personal relationship adds a new dimension to the scandal. It raises questions about what Gates knew and when, and whether his foundation has been tainted by association.
Meanwhile, the Charity Commission for England and Wales is monitoring the situation. “We take all concerns about charity governance seriously,” a spokesman said. “If evidence emerges of misconduct, we will investigate.”
But for now, the money keeps flowing. And the questions keep mounting. This is a story that will not end quietly. I will continue to follow the money and the bodies. Stay tuned.
