Bill Gates 'spoke candidly' about Epstein ties at a Gates Foundation meeting, spokesperson says

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Bill Gates addressed his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and “took responsibility for his actions” during a town hall meeting of his nonprofit Gates Foundation on Tuesday, the nonprofit said.

“Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail,” a Gates Foundation spokesperson said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal first reported news of the town hall.

Gates appears multiple times in the Justice Department's release of documents connected to its investigation of the late financier. The Justice Department’s files include email correspondence between Gates and Epstein about philanthropic projects, calendar entries documenting dates they got together, and photos of Gates at events the two men attended.

Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein and denies any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Gates has said he had met with Epstein to discuss philanthropy and believed he could help Gates raise money for issues like global health. “Every minute that I spent with him I regret and I apologize that I did that,” Gates told Australia's 9News earlier this month.

Photos and mentions of Gates in the Epstein files have attracted increased attention since the Justice Department released millions of documents last month. Last week, Gates pulled out of delivering the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.”

Melinda French Gates, who exited the Gates Foundation in 2024 to focus on her philanthropy through Pivotal Ventures, said her ex-husband must “answer to those things” when asked about his ties to Epstein. Both Gates and French Gates have said that his relationship with Epstein created problems in their marriage.

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The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce and statehouses from Melinda French Gates’ organization, Pivotal Ventures.

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.