Bill Gates told the House Oversight Committee on June 10 that Jeffrey Epstein may have contemplated blackmailing him over extramarital affairs, even as he said Epstein never actually blackmailed him. The transcript of Gates' interview was released on Tuesday, putting his long-running ties to Epstein back in the spotlight.
Gates said the emails between them pointed to “a serious probability” that Epstein was considering blackmail. He also said he had two affairs in February and described spending time with Epstein as a huge mistake. In the same interview, Gates said, “I did nothing illicit. I said nothing illicit.”
The testimony matters because it adds a new layer to a relationship Gates has already described as ill-advised. He said he met Epstein in 2011, knew at the time that Epstein had a criminal conviction of a sexual nature, and later came to believe he should have dug deeper into the specifics of that conviction. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida and was required to register as a sex offender.
Gates also said he and Epstein had several encounters beyond email exchanges, though he said Epstein never introduced him to young women. That combination leaves the record in an uneasy place: Gates is denying any wrongdoing while also suggesting the emails themselves were troubling enough to point toward a possible blackmail effort. He has said he is not accused of any wrongdoing tied to Epstein, but the committee’s probe keeps the focus on how far that association went and what Gates may have understood at the time.
Gates told lawmakers he appreciated the chance to answer questions and supported the release of all the files, saying he hoped his participation would help bring justice for the victims. The committee also released the transcript of its June 9 interview with Lesley Groff, who said she never witnessed anything illegal during her 18 years working for Jeffrey Epstein. For Gates, the unanswered question is not whether he was blackmailed, but what in those emails made him believe Epstein may have been preparing to try.
