Microsoft co-founderBill Gatesreaddressed his ties to Jeffrey Epstein after the Justice Department releasedthree million more documentsfrom the case, saying he was "foolish" to spend time with the late financier and convicted sex offender.
In an interview withNine News Australia, Gates added that he "regrets every minute" he spent with the disgraced wealth manager. He denied allegations that were mentioned in draft emails from Epstein's account, including that he used Epstein to facilitate trysts with women and that he hid a sexually transmitted disease from his then-wife,Melinda French Gates.
"Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent," Gates told the news outlet. "The email is false. So I don't know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way? It just reminds me, every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that."
What do the Epstein files show? See photos released by DOJ
Gates said he met Epstein in 2011 and had a "number of dinners with him." The focus of the relationship, according to Gates, was to discuss business opportunities.
"The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health," Gates added. "In retrospect, that was a dead end. I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him."
Gates also denied visiting Epstein's island, where Epstein was accused of trafficking and assaulting women, and having relations with other women.
"The more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior," Gates said.
The interview comes after internaldocuments related to Epsteinrevealed his connections to many prominent people in politics, finance, academia, and business. Gates, along with PresidentDonald Trumpand former PresidentBill Clinton, were named in the millions of files the Justice Department collected. All three have denied any wrongdoing.
Epsteindied in a Manhattan jail in 2019while awaiting a federal sex-trafficking trial. His death wasruled a suicide.
Conspiracy theorieshave swirled for years about whether other rich and powerful people may have participated with Epstein in sex crimes. Many alleged victimssay more people should be held accountable.
Documents reveal new names:Who is in the latest Epstein files release?
Bill Gates named in Epstein files
Documents released from the Epstein files indicate that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts. They also include pictures of Gates posing with women whose faces are redacted.
Aphoto released in December 2025showed Gates alongside Epstein wearing suits, but the context of the image remains unclear. On Jan. 30, the Justice Department released three million more pages of documents from the Epstein files, which mentioned Gates, billionaire tech executiveElon Musk, andTrump.
On July 18, 2013, Epstein sent two emails to himself, including one containing unverified allegations that the former Microsoft CEO contracted a sexually transmitted infection from having extramarital "sex with Russian girls" requiring antibiotics, according to afile shared by the Justice Department.
The other email was a resignation letter, which appeared to be written from the perspective of someone named "Boris," condemning Gates for choosing to "disregard our friendship developed of over the last 6 years."
"In my role as his right hand I had been asked on mulitple occassion and in hindsight , wrongly acquiesced into participating in things that have ranged from the morally inappropriate, to the ethically unsound and had been repeatedly asked to do other things that get near and potentially over the line into the illegal," the email reads.
Gates has said the relationship was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and has said it was a mistake to meet with him.
Epstein files:Melinda French Gates says Bill Gates must 'answer to' Epstein claims
Melinda French Gates says Bill Gates must 'answer to' allegations
Following the latest batch of documents released from the Epstein files,French Gatessaid it is not her responsibility to answer questions about her ex-husband's ties to Epstein.
"Whatever questions remain there of what I don't — can't even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me," she said in the upcoming Thursday, Feb. 5, episode ofNPR's "Wild Card" podcast.
In 2021, French Gates and Gatesannounced their divorceafter 27 years of marriage. French Gates later left the Gates Foundation in 2024, a decision she said she felt she had to make.
"Unbelievable sadness," she told Rachel Martin, host of NPR's "Wild Card" podcast. "I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage."
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Erin Mansfield, Kathryn Palmer, and Jayme Fraser, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bill Gates says he was 'foolish' to spend time with Jeffrey Epstein
