Bill Gates told House lawmakers on Wednesday that meeting Jeffrey Epstein was “a grave error in judgment” as he faced closed-door questioning from the House Oversight Committee in its expanding investigation into Epstein’s associates and the federal government’s handling of the case.
In an opening statement provided ahead of the interview, Gates said he “should never have met with Epstein in the first place,” while maintaining that he “never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct.” The testimony took place on June 10, 2026, on Capitol Hill.
The Microsoft co-founder has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Gates has long said the two met to discuss philanthropy, and he has previously described the relationship as “a huge mistake.”
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced in March that Gates was among seven people it wanted to interview as part of its review of the federal government’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes. The committee had already released records from Epstein’s estate in September 2025 and said it intended to pursue additional bank records tied to the case.
According to records previously reported by U.S. outlets, Gates’ professional relationship with Epstein began in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor, and lasted until at least late 2014. Materials released by the committee have included calendar entries, email correspondence related to philanthropic discussions and photographs showing Gates at events also attended by Epstein.
Recent reporting has also focused on Gates’ acknowledgement of extramarital affairs that Epstein later appeared to reference in emails. Reports citing a Gates Foundation staff meeting said Gates apologized to employees earlier this year over his ties to Epstein and admitted to two affairs, while insisting they did not involve Epstein’s victims.
The Gates Foundation has said a small number of employees met with Epstein because of his claims that he could help mobilize major philanthropic resources for global health. The organization said it never created a charitable fund with Epstein and made no payments to him. In March, foundation chief executive Mark Suzman commissioned an external review into the foundation’s past engagement with Epstein.
Wednesday’s interview is part of a broader congressional push that has drawn in other high-profile figures. Former President Bill Clinton was questioned by the committee in February, and committee Democrats have separately urged testimony from President Donald Trump as Republicans say they have found no evidence of wrongdoing by him.
Epstein was federally indicted in July 2019 on sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls and died in a New York jail cell that August while awaiting trial. Maxwell was later convicted in federal court for her role in recruiting and grooming minor girls for Epstein’s abuse.
Gates’ appearance underscored how the committee’s sprawling Epstein investigation continues to pull in major political and business figures even years after Epstein’s death, with lawmakers seeking to map who knew him, what they knew and whether warning signs were missed.