Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates testified before the US House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, saying he made a "grave error in judgment" by ever associating with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and revealing that Epstein had attempted to use knowledge of his extramarital affairs to pressure him into continuing their relationship.

Gates appeared voluntarily at the closed-door hearing in Washington, part of a bipartisan congressional investigation into Epstein's network of powerful associates. In his opening statement, shared in advance with the Associated Press, Gates said his contact with Epstein lasted from 2011 to 2014 — three years after Epstein had already pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting sex from a minor — and was driven entirely by Epstein's promises to raise billions of dollars for Gates's global health philanthropic efforts. "I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone," Gates said, adding that while Epstein may have sought a closer personal relationship, he "was never interested in that and never reciprocated."

Gates told the committee that he cut ties with Epstein in 2014 after concluding that Epstein would never fulfil his fundraising promises. He said he had made clear from the outset that Epstein would play no role in the Gates Foundation and receive no compensation. After a meeting with a group Epstein presented as potential donors failed to produce results, Gates said he "stopped communicating or meeting with him." It was at that point, he said, that Epstein began using information about his infidelities — which Gates confirmed included affairs with two Russian women — combined with what he described as fabricated claims, to try to pressure him into re-engaging. "Those affairs had nothing to do with my contacts with Epstein, but they were painful for my family," he said. Gates denied allegations found in draft emails released by the US Department of Justice in January, which attributed to Epstein a series of claims about Gates's personal life, including that Epstein had arranged encounters for him and helped him obtain medication.

Democratic committee members were critical of Gates's continued contact with Epstein after his conviction. "Mr Gates was aware that Jeffrey Epstein had been convicted of a horrific crime, and continued to interact with him to seek money for his foundation," said Representative Robert Garcia of California. Republican member Tim Burchett offered a somewhat more sympathetic reading, describing Epstein as a "friend collector" who cultivated powerful people to "project power and influence." Gates reportedly named individuals Epstein had gathered as purported donors, though those names were not made public.

The hearing is part of a broader congressional inquiry that has already heard from former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Epstein's longtime executive secretary Lesley Groff, who testified a day earlier that Epstein was a "master manipulator" and that she too was unaware of his crimes. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting federal trial; his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Democrats have called for President Trump, who also appears in released documents, to testify before the committee, though Republican members have so far blocked that effort.