Anderson Cooper Presses Bill Gates on Epstein’s Alleged Blackmail Attempt (8/28/26)

Bill Gates was pressed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper about allegations that Jeffrey Epstein had attempted to use sensitive information about Gates’ personal life to pressure him after their relationship deteriorated. During an appearance on Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper raised a series of graphic, unverified claims contained in draft emails Epstein wrote in 2013 but apparently never sent, including allegations involving Gates’ extramarital affairs and supposed medical issues. Cooper said the material sounded like an attempted blackmail effort and asked Gates whether he had known Epstein was considering using the information against him. Gates said he had not known at the time, maintained that Epstein never actually blackmailed him and again described his decision to spend time with Epstein as a serious mistake. Gates had previously acknowledged infidelity in his marriage but disputed the more sensational allegations contained in Epstein’s unsent drafts.

Gates also defended the account he had given House Oversight Committee investigators during a closed-door interview in June 2026, saying he had gone through his meetings and communications with Epstein in detail. He said he had not maintained a social relationship with Epstein, had never met women through him and had never visited Epstein’s island, New Mexico ranch or Florida residence. Gates repeated that he had associated with Epstein because he believed Epstein could connect wealthy donors with global-health philanthropy, a judgment he now called a “gigantic mistake.” In his congressional statement, however, Gates acknowledged that Epstein eventually learned sensitive information about his infidelities and attempted to leverage it to draw him back into contact after Gates disengaged. Gates said the effort failed, but the episode added a more troubling dimension to questions about why he continued meeting with Epstein years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction and what Epstein hoped to gain from cultivating a relationship with one of the world’s most powerful businessmen.


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