00:23Just weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice released a new wave of Jeffrey Epstein files
00:28in January 2026, one of the most powerful men in philanthropy is back in the spotlight.
00:34And this time, he's apologizing.
00:39At a February 2026 town hall meeting, Bill Gates stood before staff at the Bill and Melinda
00:45Dates Foundation and called his past association with Jeffrey Epstein a huge mistake.
00:52But here's the real question.
00:54What exactly happened between Gates and Epstein and why, nearly a decade later, is this still
01:00unraveling?
01:01Let's break it down.
01:04First, the apology.
01:06According to reporting from outlets including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and The Guardian,
01:11Gates told Foundation employees he takes responsibility for his actions.
01:15He admitted bringing Foundation executives into meetings with Epstein.
01:20He said the relationship overshadowed the Foundation's global health work, and he expressed regret.
01:26But Gates also drew a firm line.
01:28I did nothing illicit.
01:30I saw nothing illicit, he said.
01:32He denied ever visiting Epstein's private island, denied staying overnight at Epstein's properties,
01:38denied spending time with victims, and insisted their conversations were about philanthropy,
01:42nothing more.
01:45So how did this begin?
01:47The timeline goes back to 2011, three years after Epstein had already pleaded guilty in
01:532008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
01:56Gates was introduced to Epstein through Foundation Connections and met him at Epstein's Manhattan
02:00townhouse.
02:02Emails later revealed Gates described Epstein's lifestyle as intriguing, though it would not work
02:06for me.
02:09Meetings continued through 2014.
02:12New York, Germany, France, Washington, D.C.
02:15At one point, discussions even floated around a potential multibillion-dollar charitable fund,
02:20possibly involving J.P. Morgan Chase.
02:22That fund never materialized, but the meetings did continue.
02:26And that's what critics focus on.
02:28Because by 2011, Epstein's conviction was public knowledge.
02:33Why keep meeting a convicted sex offender?
02:36Gates now says he was only vaguely aware of what he described as Epstein's 18-month
02:41thing.
02:41He admits he didn't fully vet him.
02:43Contact ended in late 2014.
02:45But the story doesn't stop there.
02:48In 2017, Epstein reportedly emailed Gates demanding reimbursement for coding school fees for a Russian
02:54bridge player, Mila Antonova, with whom Gates has now admitted he had an extramarital
02:58affair.
02:59Gates' spokesperson says Epstein attempted to leverage the relationship as pressure.
03:02No payment was made, no financial dealings continued, but the existence of that email
03:07raises another uncomfortable layer.
03:09Vulnerability.
03:14And that's not the only admission.
03:16At the 2026 town hall, Gates acknowledged two extramarital affairs during his marriage
03:21to Melinda French-Gates, one with Antonova and another with a Russian nuclear physicist.
03:25These were separate from Epstein's circle, Gates says.
03:28Still, Epstein became aware of at least one of them.
03:31Meanwhile, Melinda French-Gates has spoken publicly this month, describing the renewed
03:35revelations as reopening very, very painful times.
03:38Their divorce in 2021 followed years of reported tension, including disagreements over
03:43Epstein and over how Gates handled a sexual harassment claim involving a long-time money
03:46manager.
03:48It's important to separate allegation from evidence.
03:50There is no proof Gates visited Epstein's island, no charges have ever been filed against
03:54him, and unverified claims appearing in Epstein's own self-written emails remain uncorrogarated
03:59and strongly denied.
04:00But what is verified is this.
04:03Gates met Epstein repeatedly, after the conviction, for years, and he minimized those meetings
04:08publicly until more recent disclosures.
04:10This isn't just about one apology.
04:12It's about judgment, power, reputation.
04:15When you run one of the largest philanthropic organizations on Earth, scrutiny doesn't fade,
04:20it compounds.
04:21And in 2026, nearly seven years after Epstein's death, the aftershocks are still moving through
04:26boardrooms, marriages, and institutions.
04:28The files may be decades old, but the accountability conversation, that's happening right now.
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