Bill Gates said Epstein tried to use knowledge of his affairs "to pressure me"

Bill Gates told members of Congress that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly tried to use information about Gates’ extramarital affairs to pressure him. Gates testified on June 10 for nearly six hours before the House Oversight Committee examining the government’s handling of the Epstein case and links to him. A transcript released Tuesday says Gates met Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to charges including soliciting a minor for prostitution through an adviser named Boris Nikolic. Gates said his last contact with Epstein was in 2015, four years before Epstein’s 2019 federal arrest on sex trafficking charges and his death in jail. Gates denied knowing about Epstein’s ongoing criminal conduct, but acknowledged awareness of prior legal issues and said Epstein sought several thousand dollars in reimbursements connected to one relationship. He said he was not blackmailed, though emails suggested Epstein might have been attempting it.