WASHINGTON — Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates spoke to a US congressional committee on Wednesday. He gave evidence to help lawmakers look into the illegal network of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates went to the private meeting at the US Capitol by his own choice. Before going inside, he told reporters that he wanted to cooperate with the panel. Hence, he hopes his testimony will help bring long-awaited justice to the victims.
No Allegations of Wrongdoing
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer explained why lawmakers called the tech billionaire. He said the panel wanted to learn more about Gates’ past meetings with Epstein and his helper, Ghislaine Maxwell.
However, Comer made one point very clear. He told the media that the committee is not accusing Gates of any crimes. Consequently, there are absolutely no claims of misconduct against him.
Unsealed Legal Files
The meeting happened after a court released old government documents. One of those files was a draft email from Epstein’s account in 2013 that mentioned Gates.
Meanwhile, lawmakers and legal experts have noted that having a name in these files does not mean a person did anything wrong. Furthermore, it does not mean they knew about Epstein’s crimes.
A Past Mistake
Gates has spoken about his interactions with Epstein before. In fact, he has called those meetings a major mistake.
He explained that he only met with Epstein to discuss charity work and fundraising. Therefore, Gates has always maintained that he never went to Epstein’s private island and knew nothing about his crimes.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while waiting for his trial. Today, the US committee is still working to learn how his network operated for so long.
