Today the media is once again focusing on Bill Gates, but this time it has not been to mention some of his mantras, favorite readings or tricks to achieve business success. In this case, we are talking about something more negative for the founder of Microsoft who has been involved in a tricky interview.
And it is that, he had to endure a interview very uncomfortable with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday evening January 30th. Among other things, she faced questioning about her alleged relationship with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Microsoft founder and Epstein, the powerful financier who was charged with child sex trafficking before dying of an apparent suicide in a New York jail cell awaiting trial, had met numerous times since 2011, according to a New York Times report, what would already have been after Epstein’s first conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida.
As reported by The Daily Beast, Bill Gates met Epstein at his Upper East Side New York mansion in September 2013.. He was accompanied by his then wife, Melinda Gates, who, according to the media, did not like that meeting at all.
“I had several dinners with him, you know, hoping that it would come up with what he said about getting billions in global health philanthropy through the connections he had,” Gates said. “When it seemed like it wasn’t something real, that relationship ended.”
the billionaire then admitted that she should not have dined with him, during a moment in the middle of the lengthy interview with ABC Australia. Gates told presenter Sarah Ferguson: “You’re going back in time, but yeah, I’ll say that for the hundredth time, yeah, I shouldn’t have had dinner with him.” This was the point that most irritated the millionaire (although as always, with a smile).
“I will always be sorry for the pain I caused Melinda and our family”
Another of the most tense moments (due to the subject to be discussed) was also experienced when it was revealed that, after their meeting at Epstein’s house, Melinda allegedly told Bill Gates that he should stay away from him and that he made her feel uncomfortable, something that, of course, should have set off Gates’s alarm. Let’s remember that Epstein had already been sentenced for the first time.
“One of the issues that has haunted you is your relationship with Epstein. Do you regret the relationship you had with him against Melinda’s advice and wishes?” the presenter asked.
“I will always be sorry for the pain I caused Melinda and our family. I admire Melinda and all she does to improve the lives of women and girls around the world, and I am grateful for the work we continue to do together at our foundation,” he explained. .
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the spotlight for its relationship with Epstein
Another of the points then touched on was that of this Epstein’s relationship with the Gates couple’s foundation. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is said to have started talks with JPMorgan in 2011 for the creation of a global charity that would fund healthcare projects in poor countries. Epstein wanted to participate in the company since he had millions of dollars in JPMorgan accounts and a lot of influence in the investment bank.
However, in 2014, The New York Times noted that the couple seemed to have stopped meeting. Apparently, Epstein even complained to his friends that Gates had stopped speaking to him, although it was already in 2019 when the rest of the charges against this character were filed.
And it is that, it is not for less since it seems thatEpstein’s goal was quite different from a charity issue. He proposed soliciting donations from his millionaire friends to help finance the projects and in return, for any amount of money he raised, he wanted a 0.3% commission.
A small nuance by way of opinion, and it is that, as the saying goes, “there is no evil that does not come for good”, since JPMorgan was also accused at the time of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking plot and covering it up . If these businesses between Gates, Epstein and JPMorgan had come to fruition, the reputation of the founder of Microsoft would have been completely stained.
According to The Times, Bill Gates at no point did he know that Epstein intended to benefit from charity, although it seems that we will never get to know the real truth of it all. Still everything was cut off before it was too late.
Unsurprisingly, upon finding out about Epstein’s secret dealings, they began to doubt his credibility and as a result, the charity never materialized and relations broke down. With all this, we have no doubt that it was a mistake by Bill Gates, but like that of so many others who trusted Epstein.