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The media is accused of covering up for Gates who was found repeatedly meeting with Jeffrey Epstein even after Epstein was a convicted sex offender.
In an email from 2011, Gates admitted that he found Epstein’s lifestyle “very different” and “kind of intriguing.” After 27 years of marriage, Melinda Gates said Bill’s connection with the “abhorrent” Epstein led to their divorce.
Gates reportedly met with Epstein on numerous occasions, including at least three times at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. During one occasion, the two billionaires stayed up late into the night.
Prior to spending time together, Epstein had already plead guilty and was convicted in 2008 of procuring a 14-year-old child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute. He served almost 13 months in custody.
This plea deal was controversial because Epstein plead guilty to only two crimes while federal officials had identified 36 girls whom Epstein had allegedly sexually abused. In 2019, Epstein was arrested again on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
A spokeswoman for Gates, identified as Bridgitt Arnold, is accused of attempting to spin the meaning of this email. Arnold says Gates “was referring only to the unique décor of the Epstein residence.”
“It was in no way meant to convey a sense of interest or approval,” she added, although this doesn’t fully explain why Gates would have found it “intriguing.”
Gates reportedly met with Epstein on numerous occasions, including at least three times at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. During one occasion, the two billionaires stayed up late into the night.
“And unlike many others, Mr. Gates started the relationship after Mr. Epstein was convicted of sex crimes,” the report explains.”Employees of Mr. Gates’s foundation also paid multiple visits to Mr. Epstein’s mansion.”
“And Mr. Epstein spoke with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and JPMorgan Chase about a proposed multibillion-dollar charitable fund — an arrangement that had the potential to generate enormous fees for Mr. Epstein.”
Gates now says it was “a huge mistake” to meet with Epstein. “At the time, I didn’t realize that by having those meetings it would be seen as giving him credibility,” Gates told The Times. “You’re almost saying, ‘I forgive that type of behavior,’ or something. So clearly the way it’s seen, I made a huge mistake not understanding that.”
More from Business Insider:
Gates, on multiple occasions beginning in 2013, had fundraising dinners promoting the Gates Foundation with Epstein in attendance, after Epstein had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from minors.
In previous interviews, Gates has said he stopped the meetings with the convicted sex offender once he found the meetings would not be productive for his philanthropic foundation.
The dinners were a source of contention between Gates and his now ex-wife and business partner, Melinda French Gates, who called Epstein “evil personified.”
— Advertisement — The cofounders of the Gates Foundation announced their separation last year after 27 years of marriage.
