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Topics: Bill Gates, Crime, Jeffrey Epstein, US News, World News
Tom Wood
Bill Gates has admitted that his past meetings with disgraced paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein were a huge mistake on his part.
Gates, one of the richest men in the world, met up with Epstein a number of times at various philanthropic events promoting the charity that he runs with his ex-wife Melinda French-Gates.
Now, in an interview with The Times, Gates has claimed that he rues the day he was ever seen to associate with Epstein, who was found dead in a prison cell where he was awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Epstein’s associate, friend, and ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell was also convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping him procure underage girls for sex and prostitution.
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In his latest interview, Microsoft founder Gates said his meetings with Epstein were a ‘huge mistake’ and that he wishes they had never happened.
Gates and Epstein met for fundraising meetings, and Gates explained: "At the time, I didn't realise that by having those meetings it would be seen as giving him credibility,
"You're almost saying, 'I forgive that type of behaviour,' or something. So clearly the way it's seen, I made a huge mistake not understanding that."
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Gates and Epstein met multiple times in 2013 and even had Gates Foundation events and dinners with Epstein in attendance after he’d already been convicted.
In an earlier interview, Gates claimed he’d stopped attending the meetings with Epstein after he discovered they wouldn’t be helpful to the foundation, which he still runs together with his ex-wife.
French Gates has since called Epstein ‘evil personified’ and confirmed the meetings were a contentious issue between her and her ex-husband.
Last year, the pair announced they were splitting up after 27 years of marriage, citing several issues, Epstein among them.
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Speaking to CBS This Morning, French Gates said: "It [the breakup] was many things, but I did not like that he'd had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. I made that clear to him."
She went on to say that she met Epstein ‘exactly one time, because I wanted to see who this man was, and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door.’
French Gates continued: "He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterward. So, my heart breaks for these young women.”
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The pair split in May 2021, but it was revealed that French Gates had been seeking divorce since 2019 after Gates’ links to Epstein were revealed.
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