The Epstein files released by the Department of Justice last month painted Microsoft co-founder and vaccine champion Bill Gates in a particularly unfavorable light.
Amid uproar over her ex-husband’s repeat mention in the files — including in a 2013 email wherein Jeffrey Epstein alleged that he procured for Bill Gates “drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls” — Melinda French Gates told NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast, “It’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.”
‘Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse.’
While French Gates indicated that she has “been able to move on in life,” her ex-husband is alternatively still dealing with the consequences of his long-standing association with the notorious child sex offender.
Gates reportedly apologized to the staff of the Gates Foundation for the fallout of his Epstein ties during a town hall on Tuesday, stating, “It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” according to a recording reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Gates, who has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims and whose spokesperson characterized the claims in the 2013 email as “completely false,” reportedly stressed, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”
The billionaire reportedly had an explanation for the photographs in the files featuring him in the company of women whose faces are redacted. Epstein asked to take pictures of his assistants with Gates after meetings, Gates claimed, according to the Journal.
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Photo by Leon Neal – WPA Pool /Getty Images
“To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him,” said Gates, according to the Journal. He noted, however, that he “did have affairs, 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.”
Gates reportedly suggested further that despite his ex-wife expressing concerns about Epstein in 2013 — five years after he pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor for prostitution — Gates continued meeting with Epstein.
“Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior,” Gates reportedly told staff.
Gates, apparently recognizing that his relationship with Epstein helped boost Epstein’s reputation, reportedly apologized “to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake I made.”
Gates also recognized the negative impact his Epstein ties have had on the organization previously known as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which became the Gates Foundation last year following the couple’s divorce and previous revelations about Bill’s ties to Epstein.
“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” said Gates, who has directly and through his foundation worked to shape public health, the news landscape, education policy, AI, American farmland, the energy sector, foreign policy, and the Earth itself.
“And our work is very reputational sensitive,” continued the billionaire. “I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”
When asked about the recording and Gates’ remarks, the Gates Foundation told Blaze News in a statement, “This was a scheduled townhall with employees, which Bill does twice a year. In the conversation, Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation’s work in AI, and the future of global health.”
The foundation added, “In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”
“The harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and no one should ever have to experience what they did,” the foundation said in a statement earlier this month. “The foundation regrets having any employees interact with Epstein in any way.”
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