By Gopal Ram Tripathi
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world, has admitted to having affairs with three women during his marriage. He also told US lawmakers that the late dishonored financier Jeffrey Epstein tried to use that secret information to control and manipulate him.
Gates, who is 70 years old, gave his testimony before the US House Oversight Committee on June 10. The full 138-page transcript of his closed-door session was made public on June 23, which is when the names of the three women first became known. They are Mila Antonova, a Russian bridge player; Karima Nigmatulina, a Russian nuclear physicist; and Dr. Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt, a medical entrepreneur. None of the three women have been accused of any wrongdoing.
Gates told the panel that Epstein was not involved with any of the three women and only found out about the affairs after Gates had already cut ties with him. However, once Epstein had that information, he allegedly tried to use it as a tool to force his way back into Gates' life.
According to Gates, Epstein used a middleman to send him what he described as "veiled" (not very obvious) threats. He also appeared to coach Gates' own adviser on how to potentially blackmail him, mixing true facts with false ones to defame the billionaire.
Department of Justice documents revealed draft emails apparently written by Epstein that practically referenced the affairs. They also falsely claimed that Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Gates firmly denied this, calling it completely false. He said Epstein combined real, embarrassing facts with made-up ones to make the threats more powerful and harder to dismiss.
See Also: What was written in Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged suicide note?
Despite all of this, Gates was careful with his words. He told Congress: "He never blackmailed me, but looking at these emails, it raises a serious probability that he contemplated blackmailing me."
Gates added: "It appears that in many cases he, at least in emails to himself, was sort of rehearsing how either he or someone else he was coaching might choose to blackmail me, but none of those messages were ever sent to me."
In other words, Gates believes Epstein was planning and preparing to blackmail him, but never actually went through with it. The US Department of Justice has also said it found no solid evidence that Epstein successfully blackmailed any prominent person.
Gates said he met Epstein around 12 to 14 times and had two video calls with him over a four-year period. He said their conversations were focused on philanthropy, with Epstein repeatedly promising to connect Gates with wealthy donors for his charitable work — promises that never led to anything real.
Gates denied any connection to Epstein's crimes. He said he never saw Epstein commit a crime and did not know at the time that the women travelling with Epstein were victims of sex trafficking. He admitted that continuing to meet with Epstein, despite knowing about his criminal conviction, was a mistake.
The revelations have had a deep personal impact on Gates' life. He had earlier apologized to staff at the Gates Foundation for his extramarital affairs. His then-wife Melinda Gates reportedly met with divorce lawyers in 2019 after news emerged about his connection to Epstein. Their divorce was finalized in 2021, ending a 27-year marriage.
The Gates Foundation has also announced an external review of all its past dealings with Epstein, signalling that the organisation wants to be fully transparent about any ties it may have had with him.
Truth be told ever since the Epstein Saga is all over the place, some revelations have been bitter for few A-listers. The testimony is part of a broader investigation by US lawmakers into Epstein's powerful network and how far his influence and manipulation may have reached.
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