Bill Gates Admits Grave Error in Jeffrey Epstein Meetings

An external review by law firm WilmerHale found that Bill Gates and staff from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein approximately 30 times between 2011 and 2014. The meetings, held at the foundation's campus and Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, focused on a proposed global public health fund and a grant to the International Peace Institute. The review found no evidence of illegal activity or payments to Epstein, though it noted that Gates ignored internal staff warnings about reputational risks and was aware of Epstein's prior sex offenses.

The association ended in December 2014 after a breakfast meeting in Manhattan revealed Epstein had misrepresented the involvement of potential donors. During testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Gates apologized for the reputational damage, stating that Epstein "certainly wasn't a friend" and that meeting with the financier was a "grave error in judgment."

In response to the findings, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman announced that the board approved new vetting and risk management measures to maintain partner trust. Separately, Warren Buffett referred to the association as "distasteful," though he omitted the foundation from his annual donations this year, citing his children's readiness to manage his own fortune.