CNN Host Corners Bill Gates on Epstein ‘Blackmail’ Scandal

Beleaguered billionaire Bill Gates has been grilled over claims that he was targeted for “blackmail” by child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Gates, 70, was mired in controversy after appearing in the Epstein case files. Among the documents released by the Department of Justice were photos of Gates posing with the late financier, as well as email correspondence between the two men.

Gates appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 on Wednesday to share his concerns about the AI industry not opeing up about the possible risks of the technology.

However, Cooper ended the interview by asking Gates about his connections to Epstein, noting it was his first television appearance since his behind-closed-doors grilling by the House Oversight Committee.

The CNN host asked Gates about the series of “graphic, unverified” allegations Epstein reportedly made in draft emails from 2013 that were never sent.

The billionaire previously admitted to having extramarital affairs with two Russian women, but Epstein’s draft emails alleged he had contracted an STD from the women, and wanted antibiotics to give to his then-wife Melinda. Gates previously said the sordid allegations in the unsent emails were “false.”

“It sounded like he was trying to blackmail you,” Cooper asked of the contents of the draft emails, adding, “Were you aware he was trying to do that?”

“No,” Gates said firmly, pointing out how “complicated” the “several hundred pages” of testimony was.

“I didn’t know that he was considering blackmailing me. Uh, he never did blackmail me, but, you know, it just shows how foolish I was uh, to spend time with him,” Gates said.

He also told Cooper he “really appreciated” the opportunity to answer the House Oversight Committee’s questions about Epstein.

“I went through every single meeting, every single email. I didn’t have a social relationship. I didn’t meet any women through him,” Gates said, noting all the content from the committee is “all public” if people were “curious”.

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He added of spending time with Epstein, “I had a misguided view that he could facilitate my raising philanthropic funds for global health. It was a gigantic mistake, which I talked about in my testimony, and I’ve really learned from that. You know, I’m very apologetic that I gave him any credibility at all.”

Gates said he was clear with the committee about “what I did do and being very, very clear what I did not.”

In his prepared opening statement for the committee in June, Gates admitted Epstein had “become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage.

“These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family. As the public can now see, based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities—in addition to many lies that he layered on top—to pressure me to re-engage with him,” he said in the statement.

“He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interaction with me to further his agenda,” Gates continued.

Gates said he had never witnessed or had any indication that Epstein was engaging in ongoing criminal conduct. The tech mogul also said he never went to the pedophile’s island, ranch, or Florida home and had never witnessed any abuse.

He told an Australian TV network in February his dealings with Epstein were always based on using him to access his contacts.

“The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying, he could get them to give money to global health,” Epstein said.

He also addressed the unsent emails at the time, saying, “Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. Ah, that email was never sent. The email is, you know, false… Was he trying to attack me in some way? It just reminds me, every minute I spent with him I regret and I, you know, apologize that I did that.”

His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, 61, spoke to NPR host Rachel Martin in February, where she spoke of her“unbelievable sadness” at her husband’s links to Epstein.