Bill Gates.Photo: Paul Best/Getty
Bill Gatesisn’t proud of spending time withJeffrey Epstein.
When news broke earlier this year of his divorce from now-ex-wife Melinda French Gates, sources close to the couple told PEOPLE that hisconnection with Epstein was a “sore spot"for the couple.
Appearing onCNN’sAnderson Cooper 360on Wednesday, Gates addressed his past ties to Epstein, saying, “It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there. There were lots of others in that situation, but I made a mistake.”
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“I had several dinners with him hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health through contacts that he had might emerge. When it looked like that wasn’t a real thing, that relationship ended,” said Gates, 65.
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The New York Timesreported in 2019 that Gates first met Epstein after the latter had already served jail time for soliciting prostitution for a minor and was registered as a sex offender.
Though Gates told theWall Street Journalat the time that he did not have “any business relationship or friendship” with Epstein, theTimesreported that beginning in 2011, the two men met multiple times and discussed Epstein’s proposal to help raise funds for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that never came to fruition.
Asource previously told PEOPLEthat anything involving Epstein was “major trauma” for French Gates, 56.
“She was totally opposed to what she considered shady dealings and some other issues he wanted to pursue in the business area,” the source said at the time. “She was not afraid to speak up about it either.”
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Gates' Epstein connection made headlines again in May when aNew York Timesreport claimed he “remarked in Mr. Epstein’s presence that he was unhappy in his marriage” at least one time. The newspaper also reported that Melinda was “unhappy” when the two men’s relationship became public knowledge in 2019, and subsequently consulted with divorce lawyers.
When theTimesreported in 2019 on the relationshipbetween Epstein and Gates, the Microsoft co-founder’s spokesperson Bridgitt Arnold said Gates “regretted the relationship with Epstein” and was unaware that a private jet he’d flown on had belonged to Epstein.
Arnold also denied to the outlet that Gates ever socialized or attended parties with Epstein, saying they only ever met to “discuss philanthropy.”
A statement shared with PEOPLE in May from a Gates spokesperson doubled down on that claim, saying that the newspaper’s “characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated.”
Gates and French Gates’divorce was finalized earlier this week.
source: people.com
