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Bill Gates shared further insight into the nature of his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, denying the allegations made by Epstein within recently released documents.
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Bill Gates would take it all back if he could.
As more documents related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are made public, many of the individuals named within them are speaking out on their inclusion—including the Microsoft founder.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret,” Gates told 9 News Australia’s Charles Croucher in an interview shared Feb. 4. “And I apologize that I did that."
As to the allegations found within the documents released on Jan. 30—which saw Epstein claim in an email that Gates had transgressions with women and contracted an STD from one such encounter—Gates denied the accusations.
"Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself," Gates explained. "That email was never sent. The email is false. I don't know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?”
He added, “I never went to the island, I never met any women. And so, the more that comes out, the more clear it'll be that.”
And while the tech mogul admitted spending any time with Epstein “was a mistake,” he affirmed that their social encounters “had nothing to do with that kind of behavior.”
The 70-year-old also shared more insight into the nature of his and Epstein’s relationship, saying the pair only ever “went to dinner” together, during which they discussed business opportunities.
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"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," he explained. "In retrospect, that was a dead end. I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him.”
This is not the first time Gates has expressed regret over his association with Epstein. In 2021, Gates told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, "It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there.”
At the time, he also affirmed the relationship ended when Epstein’s philanthropic promises turned out to be not “a real thing.”
Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Gates’ ex-wife Melinda French Gates, to whom he was married from 1994 to 2021, alluded to his inclusion in the documents.
"For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up,” she said during an appearance on NPR’s Wild Card podcast Feb. 3. “Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.”
"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," she continued. "They need to answer to those things, not me."
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