Bill Gates to Face Congressional Questioning Over Epstein Ties in June

Bill Gates, one of the world's wealthiest individuals, will sit for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee on June 10 as investigators continue probing Jeffrey Epstein's web of elite connections and enablers.

The Microsoft co-founder's scheduled appearance comes after Republican Chairman James Comer requested his testimony in March, citing "public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee" that suggest Gates possesses relevant information about Epstein's operations.

A spokesperson for Gates said he "welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee" and looks forward to answering questions, while maintaining that Gates "never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein's illegal conduct."

A Relationship Built on Leverage

Gates' connection to Epstein spanned 2011 through 2014, a period during which the convicted sex trafficker appeared to collect compromising information about the billionaire philanthropist. In July 2013, Epstein sent himself emails containing unverified allegations that Gates had extramarital affairs with "Russian girls" that resulted in a sexually transmitted infection. The emails claimed Gates sought to secretly provide antibiotics to his then-wife Melinda Gates.

Gates' spokesperson dismissed these claims as "absolutely absurd and completely false," calling them evidence of "Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."

However, at a February town hall with Gates Foundation staff, Gates admitted to having affairs with two Russian women -- "one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities," according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. He apologized to staff for his ties to Epstein during the same meeting.

Epstein's Persistent Pursuit

Even after their relationship ended, Epstein continued attempting to leverage his connection to Gates. Text messages from 2017 released by congressional investigators show Epstein communicating with an apparent Gates adviser about a proposed donor-advised fund that Epstein wanted to operate.

The adviser indicated Gates was interested but faced resistance from his wife. "He wants to talk to you but his wife won't let him," the adviser wrote. In rapid-fire follow-up texts, the adviser added: "he loves you," "he says hi," and "he feels bad about the [donor advised fund] btw He thought great idea but wife wouldn't allow."

The Gates divorced in 2021.

The proposed charitable vehicle never materialized, but the exchanges reveal Epstein's pattern of cultivating relationships with wealthy philanthropists and attempting to position himself as a gatekeeper to elite charitable circles.

A Growing List of Powerful Witnesses

Gates joins a parade of famous and influential figures who have appeared before the Oversight Committee's Epstein investigators. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner, and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell have all sat for depositions.

The committee has also requested interviews with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, and Doug Band, Bill Clinton's longtime aide. Lutnick is scheduled to appear on May 6.

The investigation represents one of the most comprehensive congressional efforts to unravel Epstein's network of enablers and examine how powerful institutions failed to hold him accountable despite years of credible allegations. Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Questions That Demand Answers

Gates' testimony will likely focus on the nature and extent of his relationship with Epstein, any knowledge he possessed of Epstein's criminal activities, and why he continued meeting with a convicted sex offender years after Epstein's 2008 plea deal in Florida.

The committee may also probe whether Epstein used compromising information to maintain access to Gates and other wealthy philanthropists, and whether any charitable funds were misused or directed through Epstein-controlled entities.

For survivors of Epstein's trafficking network and advocates demanding accountability, the investigation represents a critical opportunity to expose how wealth and power insulated Epstein and his associates from consequences for decades. Every deposition brings investigators closer to understanding the full scope of institutional failures that allowed Epstein to operate with impunity.

Gates' June appearance will test whether powerful figures are finally willing to provide complete and honest accounts of their dealings with one of the most notorious sex traffickers in modern history.