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Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may have contemplated blackmailing Bill Gates over extramarital affairs, the billionaire and Microsoft co-founder revealed in a recently released transcript from his interview with the House Oversight Committee earlier this month.
Gates denied witnessing or participating in any of Epstein's alleged crimes. However, he said he “may have been in the presence of victims” in the sense that he was around Epstein’s employees, who may have been abused.
The closed-door interview took place after a trove of documents released by the Justice Department earlier this year tied the philanthropist to the sex offender. Epstein, a registered sex offender from a 2008 conviction, was accused of rape and operating a sex-trafficking ring involving young women and girls. Epstein killed himself in his jail cell in 2019.
Democratic lawmakers have accused Gates of turning a blind eye toward Epstein’s criminal record in order to continue a mutual relationship leveraging each other’s vast networks of wealth and social capital.
In the June 10 interview with lawmakers, Gates denied knowing details about Epstein’s criminal conviction.
“I knew that it was of a sexual nature, but, no, I don't think I knew — dug into the specifics, although I probably should have,” Gates said.
Gates also detailed three extramarital affairs, which he said Epstein may have considered using against him.
“He never blackmailed me, but looking at these emails, it raises a serious probability that he contemplated blackmailing me,” Gates said.
Read the full transcript here.
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