The founder of Microsoft, Invoice Gatesappeared this Wednesday before the Oversight Committee of the United States House of Representatives to answer questions about his relationship with the deceased financier and sex offender. Jeffrey Epsteinin a hearing that is part of the legislative investigations into the case.
In a prepared statement, Gates supported the full disclosure of documents related to Epstein and expressed his hope that the victims would get justice.
“I support the release of all files related to Epstein and sincerely hope that survivors of his crimes can get the justice they deserve.”he stated.
The businessman also sought to make clear that he was never aware of criminal activities by Epstein during the time they maintained contact.
“I never witnessed or had any indication that Epstein was involved in ongoing criminal activity.”he pointed out.
Gates explains how he met Epstein
According to him, he met Epstein in 2011 through people linked to his philanthropic work. Gates explained that the financier assured him that he could help raise billions of dollars for global health and education initiatives.
The mogul acknowledged that he knew that Epstein had faced legal problems in the past, but said that he did not understand the magnitude of the crimes that would later come to light.
During several meetings between 2011 and 2014, conversations revolved around possible financing structures for charitable projects. However, Gates maintained that he never allowed Epstein to participate in his organizations or receive any compensation.
As time went by, he said, he realized that the financing promises would not materialize and decided to cut off all communication.
“I told him that we would not continue and I stopped communicating or meeting with him”he explained.
“I should never have met him.”
One of the most compelling moments of his appearance was when he acknowledged that associating with Epstein was an error in judgment.
“I should never have met Epstein in the first place”he declared.
Gates also revealed that Epstein attempted to use information about personal aspects of his life to pressure him into resuming contact. According to the businessman, these attempts failed, but they allowed him to understand how the financier sought to take advantage of his relationships with influential figures to improve his public image.
Finally, the philanthropist regretted that their meetings could have given Epstein credibility.
“If my time with Epstein gave him any credibility, I deeply regret it.”he concluded.
Congressman does not see sincerity in Gates
Democratic representative from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthiexpressed doubts about Invoice Gates’ attitude during his appearance. After the first hour of questioning, the legislator noted that the businessman was not being as open as he had expected and considered that some of his answers had been confrontational.
“I’m worried that I’m not being as honest and open as I could be. “It’s a little combative and I think, once again, we need to try to find out what happened,” Krishnamoorthi said, referring to the development of testimony related to Gates’ ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
The congressman also considered unusual the level of closeness that Epstein had with people around Microsoft. According to him, it is striking that the financier convicted of sexual crimes had managed to establish a relationship with Gates and several senior executives of the technology company. Krishnamoorthi anticipated that this aspect could become a central line of research in future audiences, noting that there are still questions about the actual extent of those connections.
Legislators question obtaining funds
The representative Robert Garcia He stated that the objective of obtaining resources for public health projects did not justify maintaining contact with a person convicted of “horrible” crimes.
Along the same lines, the congresswoman Melanie Stansbury revealed that he directly asked if the ends justified the means. The response, he said, was that that formulation might be too forceful, although he acknowledged that raising billions of dollars for public health initiatives was considered a goal worth pursuing.
Keep reading:
- Justice Department compiles list of all politicians who appear in Epstein files
- Emails from Jeffrey Epstein indicate that Trump lived with girls whom he prostituted
- Democrat Robert García reveals more photos of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein
