Bill Gates Nervously Squirms Over Simple Jeff Epstein Question

OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.

It’s well known that Billionaire Bill Gates was friends with disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, even after Epstein was a convicted sex offender.

In 2008, Epstein was found guilty of procuring a 14-year-old child for prostitution. This didn’t stop Gates from hanging out with Epstein. In one email from 2011, three years after Epstein spent 13 months in custody for pedophilia, Gates said that he found Epstein’s lifestyle “very different” and “kind of intriguing.”

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The abhorrent continued relationship played a role in Gates’ divorce from Melinda Gates after 27 years of marriage.

During a recent interview, Gates uncomfortably attempts to downplay his relationship with Epstein. While Gates claims he merely had “dinners” with Epstein, the friendship was much deeper than that.

The two billionaires met on numerous occasions, including at least three times at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. On one occasion, they stayed up late into the night.

Australia’s TV host Sarah Ferguson asked, “Do you regret the relationship that you maintained with him against Melinda’s advice and wishes?”

Gates said, “I will say for the over a 100th time, yeah, I shouldn’t have had dinners with him.”

Ferguson pressed Gates further, explaining that Epstein was widely known for “sexually compromising” people.

Ferguson asked, “Is that what Melinda was warning you about?”

Gates responded, “No, I mean, no, I had dinner with him, and that’s all.”

Ferguson continued to ask if Gates regrets the relationship.

Gates responded, “That I had dinner with him. There never was any relationship of any kind.”

Despite Gates’ claim that they were simply dinner pals, the relationship seems to be much deeper.

A spokeswoman for Gates, identified as Bridgitt Arnold, attempted to spin the meaning of this email. Arnold says Gates “was referring only to the unique décor of the Epstein residence.”

“It was in no way meant to convey a sense of interest or approval,” she added, although this doesn’t fully explain why Gates would have found it “intriguing.”

“And unlike many others, Mr. Gates started the relationship after Mr. Epstein was convicted of sex crimes,” the report explains. “Employees of Mr. Gates’s foundation also paid multiple visits to Mr. Epstein’s mansion.”

“And Mr. Epstein spoke with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and JPMorgan Chase about a proposed multibillion-dollar charitable fund — an arrangement that had the potential to generate enormous fees for Mr. Epstein.”

Gates now says it was “a huge mistake” to meet with Epstein. “At the time, I didn’t realize that by having those meetings it would be seen as giving him credibility,” Gates told The Times. “You’re almost saying, ‘I forgive that type of behavior,’ or something. So clearly the way it’s seen, I made a huge mistake not understanding that.”