American tech entrepreneur Bill Gates has apologised to staff at the Gates Foundation over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while maintaining that he did “nothing illicit,” according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. 

In an exclusive report published Tuesday, the newspaper said Gates acknowledged during a town hall with foundation employees that he had made “a huge mistake” by spending time with Epstein and by introducing foundation executives to him. 

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, according to a recording reviewed by the Journal. He said that he never spent time with Epstein’s victims and did not participate in any of his crimes. 

Acknowledges affairs, regrets meetings 

During the town hall, Gates also admitted to having had two affairs with Russian women, which Epstein later discovered. He said the relationships did not involve Epstein’s victims. 

Gates was among several high-profile figures whose names appeared in documents released online last month by the U.S. Justice Department, collectively referred to as the “Epstein files.” The trove included emails, interview transcripts, photographs, and call logs, with some names redacted. 

Addressing images in the files that show him with women whose faces are redacted, Gates said the photographs were taken at Epstein’s request with his assistants after meetings. “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he said. 

Gates said he met Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He acknowledged that he did not “properly check” Epstein’s background, even though he was aware of restrictions on Epstein’s travel. 

He also said he continued meeting Epstein through 2014, including flying on a private jet and meeting him in Germany, France, New York, and Washington. “I never stayed overnight,” Gates said, and did not visit Epstein’s private island. 

Speaking about his former wife, Melinda French Gates, he said she had expressed concerns as early as 2013. “To give her credit, she was always kind of sceptical about the Epstein thing,” he said. 

Impact on foundation 

Gates admitted that his association with Epstein and the recently disclosed emails had cast a cloud over the foundation’s reputation. 

“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” he said, adding that the organisation’s work is “reputation-sensitive.” 

“I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” the Journal quoted him as saying. 

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said Gates holds town halls twice a year and that he “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.” 

The report also said Gates had been scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi last week but skipped the event. While the foundation did not provide a reason, organisers were said to have expressed discomfort after his name appeared in documents related to Epstein.