Warren Buffett (left) and Bill Gates.
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Warren Buffett shone a light on his relationship with Bill Gates, and his decision to end his annual donations to the Gates Foundation, in a rare interview with CNBC's Becky Quick on Wednesday.The famed investor and Berkshire Hathaway chairman said he'd "read a great deal" about Gates' ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and while it was a "distasteful" situation, everyone makes mistakes in judging people."I found nothing in there that was beyond what I could picture myself doing," Buffett said about the transcript of Gates' voluntary testimony to the House Oversight Committee last month as part of its investigation into Epstein.Gates testified that he was introduced to Epstein by trusted associates, and the pair met several times between 2011 and 2014 in connection with philanthropic fundraising.The Microsoft cofounder said that he never witnessed any criminal conduct from Epstein, never visited his notorious island, and didn't seek a personal relationship with him.Gates said that associating with Epstein was a "grave error in judgment" driven by his hope to raise funds for his global health work."No one bats a thousand in the business of choosing people," Buffett said.
