Bill Gates admits to having affairs with Russian women as he issues apology
Bill Gates has admitted to having affairs with Russian women while apologising to his Microsoft staff.
A spokesperson for the Gates foundation confirmed that the tech billionaire 'took responsibility for his actions', while also acknowledging that it was a 'huge mistake' to spend time with disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 70-year-old featured in the recent release of the Epstein files, which claimed that he caught a sexually transmitted disease after sex with Russian women, something he rebuffed.
After the documents were released, a representative for Gates furiously denied the allegations.
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In a statement, his spokesperson told LADbible: "These claims - from a proven, disgruntled liar - are absolutely absurd and completely false.
"The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."
But now, while speaking at a town hall meeting at the Gates Foundation on Tuesday (24 February), the philanthropist issued an apology after involving foundation executives in meetings with the convicted sex offender.
"I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," Gates said, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
He went on to say: "I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities."
While he acknowledged the affairs, which Epstein later became aware of, Gates stressed that they did not involve any of Epstein's victims.
Documents in the files show Gates alongside women who had their faces redacted, he claimed they were pictures Epstein had asked him to take.
The most recent release of the files, which included over three million pages, also suggest that Gates met with Epstein repeatedly after the disgraced financier's prison sentence in 2009.
Epstein served 13 months behind bars, albeit spending much of it on work release, after pleading guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution.
In the town hall, Gates added: "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.
"To be clear I never spent any time with victims, the women around him."
The billionaire, who currently sits 13th in the world rich list, created the Gates Foundation charity alongside his ex-wife Melinda in 2000, and it has since become one of the world's biggest funders of global health initiatives.
A spokesperson said: "In the town hall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions."
A previous statement from the Gates Foundation read: "The Gates Foundation is aware of emails recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice that include communication between Jeffrey Epstein and Gates Foundation staff. We will continue to review materials released in connection with this matter.
"On the basis of Epstein’s claims that he could mobilise significant philanthropic resources for global health and development, a small number of foundation employees interacted with Epstein to try to secure this potential funding. "Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein and no fund was ever created. At no time were financial payments made by the foundation to Epstein, nor was he employed by the foundation at any time."
It concluded: "The harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and no one should ever have to experience what they did. The safety and wellbeing of women and girls is core to the foundation's mission of helping every person live a healthy and productive life, which we remain fully committed to. The foundation regrets having any employees interact with Epstein in any way."
Speaking to LADbible, the Gates Foundation said: "This was a scheduled townhall with employees, which Bill does twice a year.
"In the conversation, Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation's work in AI, and the future of global health. In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions."
Topics: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Jeffrey Epstein
James Moorhouse