Bill Gates is facing new criticism over his past connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Recently surfaced messages suggest that Epstein was still trying to influence Gates’s circle nearly a decade after his 2008 conviction.
The messages, reported on CBS, show a 2017 exchange between Epstein and a person who seems to be advising Gates. In the conversation, Epstein proposes a donor-advised fund he wanted to manage, which would theoretically allow him to handle philanthropic money linked to Gates. According to the reports, the fund never got off the ground, even though the adviser claims there was interest from Gates.
The timing of these messages is what will land the Microsoft founder in hot water, as they were sent about nine years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida for sex-related crimes involving minors. At the time of these texts, Epstein was a registered sex offender with a severely damaged reputation. However, the correspondence implies he still sought to maintain a professional connection to Gates through intermediaries.
A concerning line in the exchange occurs when the adviser tells Epstein, “He wants to talk to you but his wife won’t let him,” referring to Gates’s then-wife Melinda. The adviser also includes comments like “he says hi,” “he loves you,” and mentions that Gates felt bad the donor-advised fund never moved forward. It remains unclear if these comments truly reflect Gates’s thoughts, nonetheless, the messages suggest Epstein sought to portray himself as still connected to Gates’s inner circle.
After his conviction, Epstein spent years trying to return to top philanthropic and scientific circles. He often portrayed himself as someone who could help attract large donations for health and academic research. The recent messages show that the fund proposal was one of several approaches Epstein considered to regain influence.
Gates has consistently attempted to distance himself from Epstein, claiming their interactions were limited and mostly related to philanthropy. In 2019, he stated, “I didn’t have any business relationship or friendship with him,” calling his decision to meet Epstein a “huge mistake.” Earlier reports revealed that Gates met with Epstein multiple times starting around 2011, despite concerns voiced by staff at the Gates Foundation.
The new messages provide more context but do not reveal any dramatic new information. They do not show Gates talking directly with Epstein or indicate that Gates wanted to give Epstein any control over his charitable activities. Instead, they suggest that in 2017, Epstein was still trying to gain access to Gates via advisers and working to pitch ideas that could involve him in high-level philanthropic decisions.
The fact that these conversations still exist years after Epstein’s guilty plea may raise alarm. Critics have often argued that previous disclosures did not completely show how far Epstein reached out to famous people. These messages fit that pattern, indicating that Epstein kept trying to stay relevant even as his reputation crumbled.
For Gates, who has worked to reshape his public image around climate initiatives and global health, the connection to Epstein keeps resurfacing at an awkward time. Each new document release brings about more questions and serves as a reminder that even minimal contact with Epstein can become damaging as the public seeks answers for who was complicit.
