Bill Gates appeared voluntarily before House Oversight Committee investigators Wednesday in a closed-door transcribed interview, the most prominent private citizen yet questioned in the GOP-led probe of Jeffrey Epstein's network.
Gates arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning and told reporters he was "glad to be here" to assist with the committee's "important work" for victims. His appearance came after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer formally requested his testimony in March, following the Justice Department's release of nearly 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related files under Attorney General Pam Bondi, in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Gates' name appears in those files numerous times, and the contents put him squarely in the committee's sights.
The most inflammatory material involves a pair of unverified draft emails dated July 2013, apparently written by Epstein to himself with no evidence they were ever sent. In the drafts, Epstein claimed he had helped facilitate sexual encounters for Gates and assisted him in obtaining medication to hide a sexually transmitted infection from his then-wife Melinda, according to CNN's review of the documents. The drafts are uncorroborated, their authorship as contemporaneous records cannot be independently confirmed, and there is no indication they were ever shared with anyone. Gates' team rejected the claims firmly, stating the files demonstrate "Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates."
Gates has denied ever visiting Epstein's private island or participating in any illegal activity, and he has not been charged with any crime related to Epstein. His representatives have said he met with Epstein only a handful of times and severed contact well before Epstein's 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. Despite those denials, Gates' name appeared in the files with enough frequency that Comer's committee considered his testimony essential. He now joins a list of prominent figures who have sat before the panel, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Ahead of Wednesday's session, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Gates retained a former chief investigations counsel for the House Oversight Committee, who has since joined the law firm DLA Piper, to help coach his testimony preparation. The hire reflected the gravity with which Gates' legal team treated the interview, and it drew notice on Capitol Hill given the counsel's insider knowledge of the committee's methods.
What Comes Next
The committee did not record video of Gates' interview, consistent with the approach it used for Lutnick and other witnesses, but a full written transcript is expected to be released publicly in the days that follow. What Gates told investigators behind closed doors Wednesday is not yet known.
Lutnick's transcript, published by the committee in May, showed the Commerce Secretary downplaying the extent of his prior contact with Epstein. Republicans on the panel have used the probe to press the case that Bondi's document release exposed what years of Justice Department inaction had concealed, and Wednesday's Gates session keeps that accountability argument front and center heading into the summer.
Comer has not announced who else the committee plans to call, and it remains unclear whether Gates will be asked to return for a follow-up depending on what his transcript reveals. That document, expected within days, is the next major milestone in a probe that shows no sign of losing momentum.
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