Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, testified before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Gates said he made a ‘grave error in judgment’ by meeting with Epstein but denied any wrongdoing.

Gates’ Testimony

Gates said he was introduced to Epstein through people involved in his professional and philanthropic work and was drawn in by Epstein’s claims that he could help raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives. Gates added that he ended the relationship in 2014 after concluding Epstein could not deliver on those promises.

The committee’s chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer, formally requested that Gates testify after he appeared multiple times in a trove of documents released by the Justice Department as part of its Epstein probe. Gates said he ‘never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct’ and that he ‘never victimized anyone’.

Reaction to Gates’ Testimony

Most Democratic members who participated in the questioning described Gates as cooperative. They said some of the most useful information he provided involved other influential people in Epstein’s orbit. Lawmakers also said they pressed Gates on why he continued interacting with Epstein after his 2008 guilty plea.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, described Gates’ actions as ‘a horrific judgment call’. Gates was aware that Epstein had been convicted of ‘a horrific crime and continued to interact with him to seek money for his foundation’.

The committee’s effort is ‘about trying to figure out how the government failed’, Comer said. Gates’ testimony comes as lawmakers review documents detailing his interactions with Epstein, including calendar entries for meetings and email correspondence about philanthropic projects.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.