Bill Gates told House panel Epstein weighed blackmail over affairs
What's new: Transcripts show Gates said Epstein used “veiled” pressure as Congress reviews the handling of the sex-trafficking case.
Bill Gates told the House Oversight Committee that Jeffrey Epstein appeared to be weighing blackmail over Gates’ extramarital affairs after Gates tried to cut off contact. In a June 10 closed-door interview, transcripts released June 23 show Gates said Epstein never directly threatened him but seemed to be “brainstorming” ways to pressure him through emails to himself and through an adviser. Gates said he met Epstein 12 to 14 times over four years, starting in 2011, because he believed Epstein’s wealthy connections could help the Gates Foundation’s global health work. He said he never saw Epstein commit a crime and was unaware the women around him were victims of sex trafficking.