Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleBill Gates testified before the House Oversight Committee, stating that Jeffrey Epstein used him to "rehabilitate his reputation" and admitting he "should never have met" the late sex offender. Gates revealed that Epstein attempted to leverage sensitive personal information, including details about his extramarital affairs, to coerce him into working together, an effort Gates said was unsuccessful. The Microsoft co-founder clarified that his interactions with Epstein, which began in 2011, were limited to a handful of meetings and conversations about potential charitable giving, which ultimately proved to be a "dead-end" by 2014. Gates asserted he never witnessed or had any indication of Epstein's criminal conduct, never visited Epstein's properties, and strongly refuted allegations from Epstein's draft emails claiming he facilitated sexual encounters or provided medication. Gates expressed regret for his association, acknowledging he allowed the prospect of raising funds for global health to override his better judgment and emphasizing the importance of recognizing how reputation can be manipulated. In fullBill Gates says he ‘should never have met’ Epstein during closed-door meeting with House Oversight investigatorsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in