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\u2013 Gates testified before Congress about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.\n<\/p>\n
\u2013 He said he did not fully understand the extent of Epstein\u2019s crimes.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Gates accused Epstein of attempting to blackmail him over extramarital affairs.\n<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2014 Bill Gates<\/a> told members of Congress on Wednesday that he \u201cdid not fully understand the extent\u201d of Jeffrey\u00a0Epstein\u2019s crimes when he associated with the late convicted sex offender to raise money for his philanthropic foundation.\n<\/p>\n Gates also testified that he never witnessed any criminal conduct\u00a0from\u00a0Epstein. He accused\u00a0Epstein\u00a0of blackmailing him over his extramarital affairs.<\/p>\n \u201cThese affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with\u00a0Epstein, but they were painful for my family,\u201d Gates said, according to a copy of his opening statement. \u201cEpstein\u00a0was working to use information about my infidelities \u2014 in addition to many lies that he layered on top \u2014 to pressure me to re-engage with him.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Congress has been investigating the U.S. Justice Department<\/a>\u2018s handling of the\u00a0Epstein\u00a0case. The billionaire\u2019s testimony concerned his contacts with the convicted sex offender who ensnared women and girls from poor or unstable backgrounds.\n<\/p>\n The Microsoft<\/a> Corp co-founder testified privately to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating possible federal mismanagement in the cases against\u00a0Epstein\u00a0and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a> and related issues.\n<\/p>\n U.S. Representative James Comer<\/a>, the Republican committee chairman, asked Gates in a March letter to appear for an in-person transcribed interview.\n<\/p>\n Gates hired Jake Greenberg, who was the oversight panel\u2019s chief investigative official until December, to help him prepare for the appearance, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. A committee spokesperson told Reuters the panel has not worked with Greenberg since his departure.\n<\/p>\n Epstein\u00a0pleaded guilty to a Florida state felony prostitution charge in 2008 and served 13 months in jail.\n<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking of minors in 2019.\u00a0Epstein\u00a0pleaded not guilty to those charges and died in what was ruled a suicide later that year before his trial.\n<\/p>\n Documents released by the Justice Department this year indicated that Gates and\u00a0Epstein\u00a0met repeatedly after\u00a0Epstein\u2019s 2008 prison term to discuss expanding\u00a0the tech billionaire\u2019s philanthropic efforts.\n<\/p>\n They also included pictures of Gates posing with females whose faces are redacted. Gates has previously said the relationship with\u00a0Epstein\u00a0was confined to philanthropy<\/a>-related discussions and has said it was a mistake to meet with him.\n<\/p>\n Gates \u201ctook responsibility for his actions\u201d in a February town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation<\/a>, a spokesperson for the philanthropic group told Reuters.\n<\/p>\n Gates\u2019 relationship with\u00a0Epstein\u00a0has drawn in the Gates Foundation, which said in April it had begun an external review into its engagement with the late financier. Emails released in January by the Justice Department also showed communication between\u00a0Epstein\u00a0and the Gates Foundation\u2019s staff.\n<\/p>\n The House committee\u2019s probe includes authorities\u2019 handling of investigations<\/a> and prosecutions, plea deals,\u00a0Epstein\u2019s death, failures to combat sex trafficking, ethics concerns and delays in the release of government files.\n<\/p>\n The Justice Department\u2019s release of millions of internal documents related to\u00a0Epstein\u00a0revealed his ties to many prominent people in politics<\/a>, finance, academia and business, including President Donald Trump, who socialized extensively with\u00a0Epstein\u00a0in the 1990s and 2000s.\n<\/p>\n