Latest / The Vault: The Epstein Files / The Bill Gates Epstein Related Congressional Transcripts (Part 1) (6/26/26)

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The Bill Gates Epstein Related Congressional Transcripts (Part 1) (6/26/26) · The Vault: The Epstein Files

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Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
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Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to begin taking
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a look at the Bill Gates transcript, and we're going
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to pick up right at the start with Bill Gates
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giving his opening statement after he was sworn in. Mister Gates,
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mister chairman, ranking member members of the Committee, thank you
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for the opportunity to appear before you today. I'm here
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to answer your questions about my interactions with Jeffrey Epstein
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and to help contribute to the Committee's important work. I
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support the release of all the Epstein files and sincerely
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hope that, through your efforts and those of others advocating
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on their behalf, the survivors of Epstein's crimes, Epstein's crimes
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can get the justice that they deserve. At the outset,
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I want to state very clearly, I never witnessed, nor
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had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct.
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I never went to his island or his Florida home.
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I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought
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the foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in
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that and never reciprocated. I was introduced to Epstein in
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twenty eleven, through people I trusted in my professional and
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philanthropic work, Epstein claimed that he could raise billions of
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dollars for global health from people for whom he provided
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tax and estate services. I recall being aware that Epstein
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had faced prior to legal issues, but I did not
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fully understand the extent of the crimes that he committed.
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I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have.
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For almost two decades, my full time focus has been
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global health and education. I've been guided by the belief
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that all lives have equal value, and every child should
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have the chance to live a healthy life, no matter
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where they were born. I have committed all my resources
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and my time to this effort, but my wealth alone
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cannot fill the enormous funding gap that remains. This is
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why trying to encourage others of significant means to invest
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in global health has become such an important element of
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my work. My interactions with Epstein began with a limited
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number of preliminary meetings, three in twenty eleven and two
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in twenty twelve, during which I talked about my goals
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of my work. We began more extensive conversations in twenty
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thirteen and twenty fourteen. The discussions focused on identifying potential
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giving structures such as donor advice funds and how to
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enroll individuals he claimed more interested in making significant contributions.
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I made it clear to Epstein from the outset that
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he would never play a role in any of the
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work or receive any compensation. In twenty fourteen, after Epstein
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brought together a group he described as potential donors, I
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realized that our prior discussions, which should have translated into
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meaningful philanthropic support, were a dead end. It was clear
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that no one in the group was interested enough to
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move forward. At that point, I concluded Epstein would never
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deliver on his promises. I told him we would go
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no further and stop communicating or meeting with them. No
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vehicle for charitable giving was ever created, and no funds
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were ever raised. Our interactions ended in December of twenty fourteen,
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four years before new reports in the press and unsealed
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court documents shed additional light on the extent of his crimes.
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It was during the same time period that an employee
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was in the process of transitioning out of my private office.
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This employee engaged Epstein to negotiate and advise them on
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the terms of the separation. I did not ask, nor
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did I want or need Epstein to be involved in
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this matter. His involvement resulted in email exchanges, calls, and
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meetings with members of my team and me. However, the
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agreement we ultimately reached was not any different from what
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was previously agreed upon months in advance of Epstein in
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axserting himself. It was after this that I learned Epstein
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had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life,
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including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage.
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These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein,
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but they were painful for my family. As the public
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can now see based on what has been released in
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the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities,
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in addition to many lies that he layered on top
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to pressure me to re engage with them. He was
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unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the
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ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to
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further his agenda. I should have never met with Epstein
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in the first place. Based on what I know now,
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I understand that even if he had delivered the donors
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he promised, I would not have justified associating with them.
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I see now that he sought to build an image
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of legitimacy around himself, using connections to reputable and powerful
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people to deflect scrutiny and attempt to rehabilitate his reputation.
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I was so focused on the possibility of raising funds
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for global health that I allowed that goal to override
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my better judgment. That is a sobering realization, and it
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has reinforced for me the importance of being more attentive
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to how access and reputation can be manipulated by people
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acting in bad faith. In the work that I do,
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reputation is the basis for developing partnerships that save lives.
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Meeting with Epstein was a grave error in judgment, and
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it put this work at risk. His behavior antithetical to
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all my efforts to contribute to a world where everyone
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has a chance to live a healthy and productive life.
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If the time I spent with Epstein lent them credibility,
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I am deeply sorry. I've learned a significant lesson and
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am now far more careful about who I engage with,
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even in a limited capacity. I look forward to answering
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all your questions about my interaction with Epstein and the
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topics identified in the Chairman's invitation to appear today. The
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committee's work is essential. It's my sincere hope that those
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harm by Epstein's crimes will receive the justice that they deserve.
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Thank you, mister Spector. Thank you, mister Gates. We've had
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a couple of extra members join, starting with the majority,
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Can you please introduce yourself for the record, Lauren Bobert,
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Eric Burlison, Congressman Steve Lynch, eighth Congressional District of Massachusetts.
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Mister Spector, thank you. The time reads ten fifteen, and
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the Majority's time will begin now. Mister Spector, still asking
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the questions, mister Gates, I want to thank you again
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for coming here voluntarily to answer our questions today. I
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want to start by very very briefly discussing your background.
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I know, of course, you've had a very long and
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very very successful career. Can you provide the committee with
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a brief summary of your career up until now? Answer? Yeah.
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I was born in nineteen fifty five. I went to
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high school in Seattle, graduated. I attended Harvard College for
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a few years, but did not complete a degree. I
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founded Microsoft in seventy five. I stayed as CEO of
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Microsoft through the year two thousand. I stayed as Chief
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Technical Advisor through two thousand and eight, So two thousand
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and eight, and in my full time work at Microsoft,
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overlapping that, I created the Gates Foundation in the year
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of two thousand, so I gave a substantial gift of
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Microsoft stock in the year of two thousand and so
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between two thousand and two thousand and eight, I was
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a full time Microsoft, part time Gates Foundation. Two thousand
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and eight, I ceased my full time work at Microsoft
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and began full time as chairman of the Gates Foundation.
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And since two thousand and eight that's been my primary effort.
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I still give some advice to Microsoft. I have some
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energy innovation work under the term Breakthrough Energy, but my
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full time work is the work of the Gates Foundation,
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which involves areas like education, global health, agriculture, financial services,
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and so that's my primary work today. I turned seventy
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last year. Question thank you, And to be clear, do
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you hold any official position at any of your other
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Do you currently hold any positions at any of your
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other ventures besides the Gates Foundation. Answer. Yeah, I have
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some title with Breakthrough Energy. I'm not sure what that is.
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I have an entity called Gates Ventures that is my
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private office, and I have a group that manages investments
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on my behalf and the foundation's trust behalf called Cascade.
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So I think that's all of my official roles. Question.
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Thank you, and we'll get to more, of course, into
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your interactions with mister Epstein a little bit later. But
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just to be clear for the record, your opening statement
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indicated that your relationship with them, your interactions with them,
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occurred between twenty eleven and twenty fourteen, late twenty fourteen.
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Is that right answer? That's right question. So for the
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entirety of that time, your primary role was at the
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Gates Foundation. Is that right answer? Yeah? I mean I
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was doing the whole mix of things I do, but yes,
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at all times since two thousand and eight, that's been
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my primary role. Question and you were not. You didn't
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have a formal job at Microsoft during that time that
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you knew mister Epstein. Is that right answer? No question,
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And at this point philanthropy is your full time endeavor?
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Is that right answer? That's right? For some of the
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energy innovation work, I use private investment vehicles, and even
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the foundation itself often uses investments as part of its
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overall strategy. But the work, the aim of the work
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is philanthropic. Question. Thank you, and again we'll get deeper
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into this a little bit later, but I just want
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to do a high level lynch. We can hear the question,
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we can hear the answer, we can't hear the questions
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at all. Thank you, mister Emmer. We've had another member join.
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Can they please announce themselves for the record. William Timmins,
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South Carolina fourth CongressI District. Question, mister Gates, when did
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you first meet mister Jeffrey Epstein? Answer? It was January
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twenty eleven that I had dinner with them. Question and
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was that at mister Epstein's home? Answer? His home in
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New York. Yes. Question can you describe the circumstances that
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led you to attending that dinner? Answer? Doctor Nikolicch, who
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worked for me, said that since I was out in
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New York, I might be interested in having dinner with them,
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and so that got scheduled. Question He said you might
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be interested in it? Did he say why you might
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be interested in it? Answer, he probably gave me a
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brief description that about Epstein. Question do you recall what
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that description entailed? Answer? No, I don't. Question What did
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you discuss in your first interaction with mister Epstein? Answer?
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You know, it was a dinner that I would have
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talked about what I was doing. He would have mentioned
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a number of scientists and people that he spent time
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talking to. You know, it was kind of an introductory dinner,
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and I don't remember all the specific question, so he
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was sort of giving you an outline of the powerful
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people that he knew. Is that what you mean by that? Answer?
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More intellectual, you know, professors or science people, as well
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as some business leaders. I don't know if it was
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that night or some other time, but he did talk
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about that he provided advice to lots of billionaires. Question
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do you recall any specific names that he mentioned to you?
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Answer not at the time. You know, he talked about
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Wall Street billionaires, he talked about Middle East billionaires. He
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made it sound very extensive. Question did you get the
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sense that he was offering you some kind of service? Answer? No.
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Question Why do you think he was telling you about
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the people that he worked with? Answer? Maybe for me?
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To have a good impression of them, you know, at
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some point, I don't think that first night, the idea
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that some of those people might give money to Global
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health came up. Question I know you said you don't
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recall exactly the description that doctor Nikolch gave you about
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mister Epstein. But do you recall, if anything, you knew
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about mister Epstein in general before you met him the
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first time? Answer? I was aware that he had a
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criminal conviction. Question how were you aware of that? Answer?
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I'm not sure. Either I looked it up or somebody
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told me. Question did doctor Nikolicche tell you that? Answer?
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I'm not sure. Question do you recall knowing at the
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time what the criminal conviction was for? Answer? I knew
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that it had to do with the sexual nature. But no,
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I don't think I knew dug into the specifics, although
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I probably should have. Question would you normally look into
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people's backgrounds before you meet with them? Was this an
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uncommon way of handling it? Answer? I don't have a
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formal process for people I meet. Question did you ask
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mister Epstein about the conviction at any time? Answer? I
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did not bring it up during the dinner answer and
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he didn't bring it up either. Answer no question. Did
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anyone ever raise concerns to you about mister Epstein with
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regard to that conviction or anything else in twenty eleven?
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Answer well, throughout the time I spent with Epstein, the
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concern about his reputation was voiced by me and other people.
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So there was an awareness that he had a batter
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reputation stemming from his criminal conviction. Question, and you're saying
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that you were aware of these concerns early on. Were
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you describing conversations that occurred later in your relationship with
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mister Epstein. Answer I'd say both. Question. So you were
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aware that he had a bad reputation and he had
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some sort of sex related conviction at the time you
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first entered into contact with him. Answer that's right. All right, folks,
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we're going to wrap up right here, and in the
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next episode dealing with the topic, we're going to pick
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up where we left off. All the information that goes
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with this episode can be found in the description box.