Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to Testify in House Epstein Investigation

The House Oversight Committee's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein is expanding to include two of the most powerful men in American business and government. Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and tech billionaire, is scheduled to sit for a transcribed interview on June 10, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will appear on May 6, according to two sources familiar with the committee's schedule who spoke to MS NOW.

Both men are appearing voluntarily after the committee requested their testimonies in letters sent on March 3. But the circumstances surrounding their appearances could not be more different.

Lutnick's Epstein Problem

Interest in Lutnick's testimony exploded after he made a stunning admission during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. Under questioning, Lutnick confirmed that he had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 -- four years after Epstein was convicted of sex trafficking charges, and seven years after Lutnick claimed he severed all contact with the financier.

"I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation," Lutnick testified. "We were on family vacation. We were not a part. To suggest there was anything untoward about that in 2012 -- I don't recall why we did it, but we did."

The explanation raises more questions than it answers. Why would a prominent Wall Street executive maintain social contact with a convicted sex offender? What business or personal relationship justified that lunch? And why did Lutnick previously claim he cut ties in 2005 if he was still meeting with Epstein years later?

Lutnick now serves as Commerce Secretary in the Trump administration, making his Epstein connections a matter of public accountability. The American people deserve to know whether anyone in the Cabinet maintained relationships with a man who ran an international sex trafficking operation targeting underage girls.

Gates Under Scrutiny

Gates' relationship with Epstein has been the subject of intense scrutiny for years. The two men met multiple times after Epstein's 2008 conviction, with Gates visiting Epstein's Manhattan townhouse on several occasions. Gates has acknowledged the meetings were a "mistake" but has been vague about the nature and extent of their relationship.

The New York Times reported in 2019 that Gates met with Epstein on numerous occasions starting in 2011, and that the meetings continued for several years. Gates' spokesperson at the time said the meetings were focused on philanthropy, but that explanation has never fully satisfied critics who question why one of the world's richest men needed advice from a convicted sex offender.

Gates' June testimony will give the committee an opportunity to press him on these questions under oath. What did they discuss? Who else was present? Did Epstein ever introduce Gates to other powerful figures? And did Gates ever witness or hear about Epstein's abuse of young women?

A Growing List of Witnesses

Gates and Lutnick join a roster of high-profile witnesses who have already appeared before the committee or are scheduled to do so. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and retail billionaire Les Wexner were all deposed earlier this year.

Three additional witnesses are scheduled to appear in the coming weeks:

• Ted Waitt, who was in a romantic relationship with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell for several years, will appear on April 30.
• Tova Noel, a corrections officer who was on duty when Epstein died in a federal jail in New York City in 2019, is scheduled for May 18.
• Lesley Groff, Epstein's executive assistant, will appear on June 9.

All five witnesses are appearing voluntarily after receiving requests from the committee.

The Bondi Question

Meanwhile, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the scheduled deposition of former Attorney General Pam Bondi. The committee issued Bondi a subpoena in a bipartisan vote last month, requesting that she appear for a deposition on April 14. But after President Trump fired her from his Cabinet last week, questions mounted about whether Republicans on the panel would enforce the subpoena.

"Since Pam Bondi is no longer Attorney General, Chairman Comer will speak with Republican members and the Department of Justice about the status of the deposition subpoena and confer on next steps," a committee spokesperson told MS NOW in a statement last week.

That mealy-mouthed response suggests Republicans may be looking for an excuse to let Bondi off the hook. Democrats and at least one Republican on the panel have called for her testimony, but committee leadership has been coy about next steps.

Bondi's testimony matters because she oversaw the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files release and federal probes into Epstein and Maxwell. If Republicans allow her to dodge the subpoena simply because Trump fired her, it would represent a stunning abdication of congressional oversight.

Why This Matters

The House Oversight Committee's investigation is examining not just Epstein's crimes and Maxwell's role as his co-conspirator, but also the federal government's handling of the case and the network of powerful men who enabled Epstein's abuse for decades.

Epstein's operation could not have functioned without the complicity, willful blindness, or active participation of wealthy and influential figures. Every lunch meeting, every private jet flight, every introduction to another potential victim or enabler was part of a system that protected Epstein and allowed him to prey on vulnerable young women with impunity.

The American people deserve to know who knew what, when they knew it, and what they did about it. That includes tech billionaires, Cabinet secretaries, and anyone else who crossed paths with Epstein after his crimes became public knowledge.

The committee's investigation represents one of the few opportunities for accountability in a case where the main perpetrator is dead and his co-conspirator is serving a 20-year prison sentence. The testimony of Gates, Lutnick, and others will help fill in the gaps about how Epstein's network operated and who helped him maintain his influence despite his conviction.

This is not about guilt by association. This is about transparency and accountability. If powerful men maintained relationships with a convicted sex trafficker, they need to explain why -- under oath, on the record, and without the protection of vague statements issued through spokespeople.

The scheduled testimonies in May and June will be a test of whether our institutions can hold the powerful accountable, or whether wealth and influence remain a shield against scrutiny.