By Sabiu Abdullahi
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has expressed regret over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as renewed attention surrounding recently released Epstein files stirs fresh controversy.
The latest disclosures have revived public and political interest in Epstein’s network of high-profile contacts. Among those facing renewed scrutiny are former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who have both been named in the documents and have agreed to testify before a House committee examining Epstein’s activities.
Gates addressed the issue publicly after allegations surfaced in newly released records. Reports claimed he concealed a sexually transmitted disease from his former wife, Melinda French Gates, following alleged encounters with “Russian girls.” Epstein was also alleged to have suggested that Gates attempted to secretly administer antibiotics to his wife.
Gates’ office rejected the accusations, describing them as “absolutely absurd and completely false.” Speaking during an interview with Australia’s Channel 9News, the billionaire dismissed the claims and accused Epstein of attempting to damage his reputation or pressure him.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false,” Gates said.
“I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way? Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that.”
Melinda French Gates also spoke about the renewed attention during an appearance on NPR’s Wild Card podcast. She said the resurfacing details had reopened painful memories from their 27-year marriage, which ended in divorce in 2021.
“For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage,” French Gates told the radio network’s Wild.
She continued: “Whatever questions remain there of what – I 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.”
Gates confirmed that he met Epstein in 2011 and shared dinners with him on several occasions. He said the meetings centred on efforts to mobilise wealthy donors for global health projects. He denied visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island and rejected claims of sexual relations with women linked to the financier.
“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,” Gates said.
“I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him. The more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it has nothing to do with that kind of behaviour.”
Reflecting on the broader scandal, Melinda French Gates described the situation as a societal reckoning and lamented the trauma suffered by victims.
“No girl should ever be put in the situation they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him. It’s beyond heartbreaking,” she said.
“I remember being those ages the girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages.”
She added that learning about allegations connected to her former husband left her with “just unbelievable sadness,” though she emphasised that her concern remains with those directly affected. “What they went through is unimaginable,” she said.
Political reaction has also emerged. Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina disclosed that she had requested House Oversight Committee chair James Comer to subpoena Gates.
“Mace wrote on X, that she has questions for Bill Gates about Epstein, saying she supported Melinda French Gates’s assertion that her ex-husband must answer lingering questions.
Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Despite his death, investigations and document releases tied to his activities continue to generate global attention and draw prominent figures back into public focus.
