Bill Gates’ Divorce Is Airing Out All His Jeffrey Epstein Laundry
One name has repeatedly surfaced in the wake of the announcement that Bill and Melinda Gates are divorcing: Jeffrey Epstein.
Bill Gates’ dealings with Epstein, who died under suspicious circumstances in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, haunted the billionaires’ marriage.
Melinda Gates was worried about Bill and Epstein’s relationship as far back as 2013.
While Epstein was a widely connected rich man who loved to flaunt how widely connected he was, his relationship with Gates was notable for one particular reason: The two met in 2011, years after Epstein was convicted for sex crimes and become a registered sex offender, the failing
New York Times reported in 2019. And Gates reportedly struck up a relationship with him anyway.
A spokesperson for the Microsoft co-founder told the
Times, “Gates recognizes that entertaining Epstein’s ideas related to philanthropy gave Epstein an undeserved platform that was at odds with Gates’s personal values and the values of his foundation.”
That’s not exactly how Gates described Epstein when they first met, though.
The pair met for the first time at Epstein’s palatial Manhattan residence, where Gates remained for several hours.
Afterward, Gates emailed colleagues, “His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me.” (The spokesperson told the
Times that this was a reference to Epstein’s “unique decor” and his habit of bringing in people to meet Gates.)
The two met multiple times afterwards, although Gates’ spokesperson wouldn’t say exactly how many times.
In 2013, Gates flew on Epstein’s plane, infamously nicknamed the Lolita Express, even though Gates had a plane of his own. (Gates’ spokesperson said that Gates didn’t know Epstein owned the plane.)
Gates donated $2 million to MIT’s media lab—a donation that Epstein facilitated, according to internal emails obtained by the
New Yorker.
Then, in 2013, both Melinda and Bill Gates had a meeting with Epstein, the
Daily Beast reported earlier this month. And Melinda was wildly uncomfortable.
Melinda was reportedly furious about Bill and Epstein’s relationship. But Gates kept up his ties to Epstein anyway.
In a 2019 interview with the
Wall Street Journal, months after Epstein’s death, Bill Gates denied that he’d ever been particularly close to the sex offender.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7evpv/bill-gates-melinda-gates-divorce-jeffrey-epstein