Messages from the tranche of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents released by Congress on Nov. 13 shed new light on the deceased sex offender’s effort to court billionaire Bill Gates.
The newly released material from 2017 shows a series of text messages between Epstein and an apparent adviser to Gates, discussing the tech baron and other attendees at an annual banquet in Washington.
Epstein had been hoping to sell Gates on a donor-advised fund, a tax-deductible charitable vehicle Epstein wanted to operate, but that never ultimately materialized.
Gates was interested in the idea, the adviser said, but for the misgivings of one person who didn’t want him communicating with Epstein: Gates’ then-wife Melinda.
“He wants to talk to you but his wife won’t let him,” the adviser said. In a series of texts a minute later, the adviser said of Gates, “he loves you,” “he says hi,” and “he feels bad about the [donor advised fund] btw He thought great idea but wife wouldn’t allow.”
Later in the day, Epstein suggested to the same person that former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler “would love to sit with Melinda and give her the other side of Jeffrey.” CBS News previously reported that Ruemmler, who is currently the chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, was among Epstein’s inner circle in the final years of his life. Ruemmler has described it as a business relationship; she is not accused of wrongdoing.
Requests for comment sent to Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were not immediately returned. The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs declined to comment Wednesday. In October, they told CBS News that Ruemmler’s relationship with Epstein was related to her work for her previous employer, the law firm Latham & Watkins.
The Microsoft founder and philanthropist has previously sought to minimize his connection to Epstein, saying in 2019, “I didn’t have any business relationship or friendship with him.” In 2021, after it became clear that Gates and Epstein had met repeatedly in the decade before Epstein’s 2019 death, Gates called spending time with Epstein a “huge mistake.”
Epstein’s appointment calendar, released by Congress in September, shows several meetings with Gates, who previously said he had met with Epstein while seeking contributions and connections for his global health philanthropy.
Gates is among a slew of famous and powerful people who have long sought to publicly downplay their connections to Jeffrey Epstein. In some cases, documents have come to light showing they in fact had more involved relationships than they’ve acknowledged.
Epstein was a prolific networker who sought to build relationships with world leaders, business titans and celebrities, often casting himself as a middleman who could connect the powerful.
His ability to build an elite social circle continued even after he had become a registered sex offender, following a 2008 deal with prosecutors in Florida that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges. He then was able to return to his globetrotting life.
As cache after cache of Epstein’s personal communications, flight logs and calendars have come out, many of his friends and acquaintances have faced blowback. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said Wednesday he is resigning from the board of OpenAI and leaving a number of other roles following newly surfaced communications between him and Epstein.
On Tuesday, both houses of Congress passed a bill that would require the Justice Department to release nearly all of its investigative files on Epstein.
President Trump has indicated he will sign the bill, which gives the Justice Department 30 days to comply.
