Context:

Bill Gates told a congressional panel that newly released Epstein files intensified his embarrassment over their interactions, especially after documents from the Epstein Transparency Act mandated the DOJ to publish Epstein investigations. He described meeting Epstein about a dozen times, mostly in social or introductory contexts aimed at connecting donors to Gates Foundation initiatives, but asserted he never engaged with any victims and distrusted Epstein’s overall involvement. Gates suggested his adviser Boris Nikolic facilitated some connections and that Epstein learned about Gates’s affairs through Nikolic, prompting concerns about blackmail. The testimony underscored a broader vetting and transparency push; Gates indicated he tightened background checks and acknowledged Melinda Gates’s strong warnings about Epstein. The panel’s release and subsequent disclosures keep the focus on how illicit ties influenced philanthropy and governance, with more scrutiny likely to follow.

Dive Deeper:

• The Epstein Transparency Act, passed in late 2025, required the Justice Department to release millions of files related to Epstein investigations, intensifying scrutiny of Gates's interactions with Epstein after the January document release.

• Gates estimated he met Epstein about a dozen times across New York, Paris, DC, a private jet, and Gates’s Seattle office; some meetings included others like politicians and business figures, and Epstein sometimes facilitated introductions to potential donors.

• Gates said his goal in those interactions was limited to connecting with donors for Gates Foundation projects, and he stopped engaging with Epstein by December 2014 after limited commitments and no responses to Epstein’s emails.

• Documents revealed Epstein drafted emails to himself in 2013 that referenced Gates’s extramarital affairs and a sexually transmitted disease, raising questions about blackmail; Gates insisted he never received those messages and either did not see or was unaware of such drafts.

• Boris Nikolic—one of Gates’s advisers—had knowledge of Gates’s affairs, and Gates suggested Epstein may have inferred more about Gates through Nikolic; Nikolic’s involvement later intersected with Epstein’s affairs and negotiations surrounding his exit from Gates’s companies in 2013.

• Gates acknowledged Melinda French Gates’s strong disapproval of Epstein and noted her push to either secure donations under strict conditions or cut ties, reflecting how personal judgments influenced philanthropic strategy.

• Gates attributed Epstein’s awareness of the affair disclosures to Nikolic, while arguing that Epstein did not coordinate a broader plan with Nikolic; he also indicated he would continue more thorough background checks after the experience.