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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Bill Gates is set to testify to U.S. Congress about his interactions with the deceased disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
More than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting further charges, were released by the Justice Department under the Epstein Files Transparency Act after widespread clamor for more openness.
This has led to scrutiny of high-profile figures named in the files, including Gates, though appearing in the Epstein files does not imply wrongdoing or criminal behavior and Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
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A spokesperson for Gates told Newsweek: "Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee. While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein's illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee's questions to support their important work."
Below, Newsweek has outlined three possible questions the committee might ask him.
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1. Why Did Gates Meet Epstein?
Gates has maintained he met with Epstein to discuss philanthropy opportunities and earlier this year he told Australia's 9News he regretted meeting him.
Nevertheless, it is likely he will be questioned on the nature of their relationship more specifically and his judgment will be called into question, especially since he said he began meeting with him in 2011, three years after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
2. Was Gates Aware of Any Illicit Behavior?
Gates has said it was a "huge mistake" to spend time with Epstein and bring executives from the foundation into meetings with Epstein. According to The Wall Street Journal, he also said: "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit" during a town hall in which he admitted to having affairs with Russian women.
Despite this statement, it is likely he will be quizzed further about the time he spent with Epstein and whether he was aware of wrongdoing.
3. What Happened Between Gates and Russian Women Mentioned in the Files?
In January, a spokesperson for Gates dismissed allegations that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease from Russian women—as "absolutely absurd and completely false."
The Epstein files include two draft emails dated July 18, 2013, written from Epstein’s own email address back to the same account, with no indication they were ever sent or that Gates received them.
Neither message is signed, and no email belonging to Gates appears in the material.
One draft takes the form of a resignation letter from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, alleging that medication had been procured for Gates "to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls."
The other begins "dear Bill" and accuses Gates of ending a friendship, while repeating lurid claims that he concealed a sexually transmitted infection—including, allegedly, from his then‑wife, Melinda.
Gates’s spokesperson told the BBC the allegations come from "a proven, disgruntled liar" and reiterated that they are "absolutely absurd and completely false."
The spokesperson added that the files merely reflect Epstein’s frustration at not having an ongoing relationship with Gates, "and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."
Gates may be questioned further on these files.
Gates' hearing with the House Oversight Committee is scheduled for June 10. Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and former Attorney General Pam Bondi are also expected to testify before Congress in the coming weeks.
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