Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation on Feb. 24, the group said in a statement.
Gates answered questions at the twice-a-year meeting on a range of issues, "including the release of the Epstein files," the foundation said. "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," the foundation said.
The statement came in response to a Wall Street Journal report, which said that Gates had apologized to staff during the town hall over his ties to Epstein.
Documents released by the Department of Justice have indicated that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts. The meetings came after Epstein was imprisoned for 13 months, ending in 2009, after a conviction on state charges in Florida of soliciting the prostitution involving a minor. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in custody on federal charges alleging he sex trafficked underage girls.
According to the Journal report, Gates told staff that it was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. The report cited a recording of the comments Gates made in the town hall.
