In February, Gates admitted to having two affairs with Russian women while married to Melinda French Gates
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NEED TO KNOW
- Bill Gates has repeatedly apologized for his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, but a new report from The Wall Street Journal examines the toll their association has taken on his public image
- In February, during a Gates Foundation town hall, the billionaire philanthropist admitted to having two affairs while married to Melinda French Gates and apologized to foundation staff for his past ties to Epstein
- Gates is set to speak to a congressional committee on June 10
When Bill Gates made headlines earlier this year by admitting to having two affairs while married to Melinda French Gates, his girlfriend Paula Hurd was reportedly in the front row.
Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal published a new report about the hits the billionaire philanthropist's public image has taken over the years due to his past ties to sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The story was published shortly before Gates is set to speak to a congressional committee about his ties with Epstein later this month.
In February, Gates, 70, admitted to having two affairs with Russian women while married to French Gates, 61, and apologized to Gates Foundation staff for his past ties to Epstein, while maintaining he was not part of anything "illicit,” as previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” he said, noting that Epstein knew of those relationships.
He insisted that he “never spent any time with victims, the women around him” and maintained that he “did nothing illicit” and “saw nothing illicit.”
In their new report, The Wall Street Journal said that among the people sitting in the front row at the time was Hurd as well as one of the Microsoft co-founder's sisters.
When reached by PEOPLE for comment, a spokesperson for Gates said he "was not involved in any illegal activities with Epstein and has acknowledged it was a mistake to have ever met with him."
"Gates has apologized for that mistake and is voluntarily speaking with the House Oversight Committee…to answer questions about his interactions with Epstein," the spokesperson added. "Gates supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve.”
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Scrutiny has been renewed around Gates' history with Epstein — who died in federal custody in 2019 after being accused of human trafficking — since documents released by the U.S. Justice Department included draft emails Epstein wrote to himself in which he accused Gates of contracting a sexually transmitted infection from “Russian girls” and then asking for Epstein's help in order to hide it from his then-wife.
Gates’ spokesperson has denied those claims, calling them "absolutely absurd and completely false"
In an interview released the following week, French Gates, who spoke broadly about Epstein's transgressions as well as her own marriage, said that “whatever questions remain there of what I don’t — can’t even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”
During the February town hall, Gates said it was a "huge mistake to spend time with Epstein" after first meeting the sex offender in 2011 — long after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He said they spent time together until 2014, but maintained that he never spent a night around Epstein or on one of his island properties.
"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," he said, noting that his past with Epstein and the newly disclosed emails have cast a shadow over the foundation's work and reputation.
“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation,” he said. “And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”
A spokesperson for Gates told PEOPLE after the town hall, in part, that he “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”
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Gates has previously said he was seeking charitable donations, reiterating that "the focus was always he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end."
In April, the Gates Foundation announced that they had “commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships.”
“That review is underway, and we expect the board and management will receive an update this summer,” they added, noting that the review had the support of Gates as well as foundation CEO Mark Suzman.
"The harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and the foundation regrets having any employees interact with him in any way," a foundation spokesperson said when reached by PEOPLE for comment. "The Gates Foundation remains focused on its mission to help improve lives in the US and globally; to advance that work, our Chair, CEO and Board remain fully engaged in the work ahead."
The Microsoft co-founder is set to face questioning about his ties with Epstein on June 10.
In a statement previously obtained by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Gates, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, said that the businessman “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee” as part of the Epstein investigation.
“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct,” the spokesperson said, “he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work.”
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