Bill Gates Tells Congress That Epstein Tried to Blackmail Him (7/9/26)

Bill Gates arrived on Capitol Hill for a closed-door, transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers continued digging into Jeffrey Epstein’s network, the government’s handling of the case, and the powerful figures who remained in Epstein’s orbit after his 2008 conviction. Gates told reporters he was there to cooperate and, according to his prepared remarks and subsequent reporting, described his meetings with Epstein as a “grave error in judgment.” He maintained that he never witnessed or participated in Epstein’s criminal conduct, never visited Epstein’s island, and believed at the time that Epstein might help raise money for global health and philanthropic projects. Gates has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, but his repeated contact with Epstein after Epstein was already a convicted sex offender has remained a major reputational problem.

The most explosive part of the interview was Gates’ claim that Epstein tried to use knowledge of Gates’ marital infidelities as leverage to keep him close and pressure him into continued contact. Gates framed Epstein as manipulative and said he now regrets giving Epstein credibility by meeting with him at all, while lawmakers focused on why Epstein was able to keep attracting access to billionaires, institutions, and philanthropic circles long after his criminal history was public. The hearing placed Gates inside the broader congressional effort to map Epstein’s influence network, including who met with him, who benefited from his access, and how he used proximity to elite figures to rehabilitate himself. In plain terms, Gates tried to present himself as someone Epstein misled and tried to exploit, while Congress used the interview to examine how someone like Epstein kept buying legitimacy through powerful people.



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Bill Gates arrives on Capitol Hill for closed door Jeffrey Epstein interview