Bill Gates told U.S. lawmakers that he believed Jeffrey Epstein considered blackmailing him, according to a transcript of testimony released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Tuesday. During a closed-door hearing on June 10, Gates disputed some of the details of Epstein's extramarital affair recorded in his own emails. He said the disgraced financier and sex offender, who died in a New York prison in 2019, may have tried to use the information, which included "dozens of false messages," as a pressure measure.
"I was not being blackmailed," Gates told the committee, "but when you look at the emails, you can see that Mr. Epstein's train of thought was definitely going in that direction."
Gates said he discussed the possibility directly with Epstein, particularly as he sought to cut ties with him. He admitted to having extramarital affairs but stressed that the relationships were not through Epstein. Gates has repeatedly said he had no direct knowledge of Epstein's crimes involving underage victims.
"There were some understatements, like 'We should all be friends,'" Gates said. "To which I responded very clearly: If you think you can get more money out of this, you can't; and if you choose to talk about these things externally, I will live with the consequences and deal with them."
Adding the Microsoft co-founder, then one of the world's richest men, to his social circle underscored Epstein's widespread influence among the financial, technology and academic elite. In addition to Gates, the committee sought testimony from Bill and Hillary Clinton, Apollo co-founder Leon Black and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. general counsel Katherine Rumler.
Gates has publicly admitted that he had multiple extramarital affairs during his 27-year marriage to Melinda French Gates, which became one of the reasons for their divorce.
In a written statement prepared for the hearing, Gates said: "These affairs had nothing to do with my relationship with Epstein, but they did cause pain to the family. According to the documents released now, Epstein tried to use the information about these infidelities - coupled with the lies that he compounded - to pressure me to try to get me to reconnect with him."
A spokesman for Gates said after the testimony was released that he was grateful for being able to testify and supported the full release of documents related to Epstein. The spokesman said that Gates answered all questions during the nearly six hours of hearing, "Now that the complete and unabridged record has been released, the public can view the full details for themselves."
Gates said in his testimony that he met with Epstein approximately 12 to 14 times over four years and had two Skype calls. Epstein's death while awaiting federal trial on sex trafficking charges involving underage girls was ruled a suicide by authorities.
Representative Emily Randall, a Washington state Democrat who participated in the investigation, said that the goal of the committee is to fight for justice for survivors, but also needs to examine those who were not directly involved in the crime but in some cases "blinded to obvious warnings."
Randall said: "Gates was generally candid and cooperative when answering questions, but some of his answers also showed that many people who came into contact with Epstein only saw the side of Epstein they wanted to see."