Bill Gates has recently faced criticism over his uncomfortable response regarding the nature of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
During a recent interview with ABC730, the Microsoft founder was asked about the several dinners he had with Epstein, a known sex offender who died by suicide while awaiting sex trafficking charges in August 2019.
This is not the first time Gates has faced questioning about his relationship with Epstein, but during this latest interview, he appeared to grow increasingly frustrated when the subject was brought up.
Presenter Sarah Ferguson started the conversation by asking:
“One of the issues that’s dogged you is that of your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Do you regret the relationship that you maintained with him against Melinda’s advice and wishes?”
Melinda French Gates had previously spoken out about her objections to her former husband’s decision to meet with Epstein, which was one of the contributing factors in their divorce.
In response to Ferguson’s question, Gates stated:
“You’re going way back in time, but yeah, I will say it for the over 100th time, yeah, I shouldn’t have had dinners with him.”
When pressed about the nature of the relationship and whether Epstein had the ability to sexually compromise others, Gates responded, “No… I mean it’s… no, I had dinner with him and that’s all.”
The conversation didn’t end there as Ferguson continued to probe for clarification on Gates’ relationship with Epstein.
However, Gates seemed to imply that the only interaction between the two was just dinner. He also denied any relationship between the convicted pedophile and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
However, an investigation by The New York Times published in 2021 revealed that Gates met with Epstein multiple times at the start of 2011, with photographs showing the pair together in Epstein’s New York mansion.
Interviews with more than a dozen individuals familiar with the relationship and documents reviewed by the outlet suggested that they had met at least three times at the Manhattan townhouse.
Furthermore, employees of Gates’ foundation were also alleged to have paid several visits to Epstein’s mansion.
The clip from Gates’ latest interview has now circulated on Twitter, where users are slamming him for his defensive response.
One user stated: “Dinners? What were the conversations about with a true blue paedophile Bill?”
Another wrote: “Talk about awkward and uncomfortable. This man not only didn’t want to answer, he looked like he was on the stand trying to be as brief as he could in his responses.”
