The Bill Gates Epstein Related Congressional Transcripts (Part 14) (6/30/26)

Summary

The Epstein Chronicles

Episode: The Bill Gates Epstein Related Congressional Transcripts (Part 14)

Host: Bobby Capucci
Date: June 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this installment, host Bobby Capucci presents a detailed run-through of the congressional transcript involving Bill Gates’ testimony regarding his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein. The discussion revolves around the now-infamous photo at Epstein’s New York residence, Gates' motivations for his meetings, the search for potential donors to global health causes, Melinda Gates’ reaction to Epstein, alleged threats, and Gates’ reflections on his decisions. The conversation is probing, with members of Congress seeking clarity about the frequency and nature of Gates’ meetings with Epstein, the involvement of other elites, and the fallout within Gates’ philanthropic sphere.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The May 2, 2011, Epstein Dinner Photo

• (01:00–02:18)
  • Congressional questioning opens by confirming a photo featuring Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein, Boris Nikolic, Jess Staley, and Larry Summers.
  • The dinner took place at Epstein’s New York residence on May 2, 2011.
  • Gates: “There was a dinner that all five and only the five people you see here had dinner together. I believe this was after the dinner.”
  • Gates specifies that this was only his second meeting with Epstein.

2. Nature and Purpose of the Dinner

• (02:19–03:49)
  • Gates describes the dinner as having “pretty broad ranging” discussions, focusing partly on economics and his foundation’s work.
  • Gates: “At the time thought having a chance to listen to Dr. Summers and Mr. Staley would be educational to me...this fit into my schedule.”
  • Gates clarifies that seeking donors wasn’t a concrete objective at this stage.

3. Attendees and Photo Origins

• (03:49–04:45)
  • Gates affirms the only attendees were those pictured; he does not remember who took the photo, suggesting it might have been the cook or an assistant.
  • Bell asks, “Were there any young women present on that occasion?”
    Gates: “None.”

4. Epstein as a Donor Connector

• (04:46–08:12)
  • Questioned about who Epstein claimed he could introduce as donors, Gates lists names like Leon Black, Josh Harris, Mort Zuckerman, and Tom Pritzker, but is clear these donations would go to broader global health causes, not directly to the Gates Foundation.
  • Gates recounts Melinda Gates’ strong negative reaction to Epstein, urging Gates to “cut it off” or make the donor engagement concrete; Gates admits her judgment was “better than I showed.”

5. Specific Meetings and Contacts

• (08:12–08:43)
  • Gates details eventual meetings with Leon Black and references cross-paths with others like Josh Harris, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tom Pritzker in 2014.
  • He clarifies that Les Wexner was never discussed by Epstein as a potential donor.

6. The “Barack” Email and NDAs

• (08:43–09:40)
  • An email referencing a “Barack” (potentially Ehud Barak or Barack Obama) is discussed, but Gates states, “I never met any Baracks in connection with Epstein.”
  • Gates confirms he never signed any NDA with Epstein, nor did he have Epstein sign one.

7. Background Checks and Lessons Learned

• (09:40–10:15)
  • Gates admits he wishes he had “done more” background checking on Epstein, acknowledging awareness of Epstein’s 2008/09 conviction.
  • He states background checks have become more thorough since then.

8. Foreign Intelligence and Threats

• (10:15–11:40)
  • Gates denies any mentions or evidence of Epstein being connected to foreign intelligence or being a foreign asset.
  • When asked if Epstein made threats, Gates references a reimbursement request for the bridge player, which he saw “as taking a step beyond the veiled comments he made during Dr. Nikolic’s exit” and “moving further down the line of him threatening.”
  • Clarifies the amount in question was “thousands of dollars, not tens of thousands.”

9. Fallout and Aftermath

• (11:40–12:55)
  • Regarding Warren Buffett pausing donations, Gates says his last discussion with Buffett did not cover Epstein, attributing Buffett’s concerns to “what he’s reading in the press.”
  • When asked about Melinda Gates’ impression:
    Gates: “She definitely had a very negative impression of him...showed better judgment than I did.”
  • On how many times he met Epstein: “I think it’s like 12 to 14 times, but plus two Skype calls in total over a four year period.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Purpose of Dinner (01:54):
  “At the time thought having a chance to listen to Dr. Summers and Mr. Staley would be educational to me.”
  — Bill Gates

• On Melinda’s Judgement (06:15):
  “She had a very negative reaction to Mr. Epstein and was saying, look, you know, either get these donations, you know, maybe you should just cut it off now, showing better judgment than I showed.”
  — Bill Gates

• On Lessons Learned (10:00):
  “I wish I had done more, but I did enough to know did do enough to know that he had been criminally convicted in 2008 or 2009 of a sexually related offense.”
  — Bill Gates

• On Threats (10:55):
  “I view the attempt to have me reimburse him for things he purportedly paid for for the bridge player, I viewed that as taking a step beyond the veiled comments he made during Dr. Nikolic’s exit.”
  — Bill Gates

• On Meeting Frequency (12:40):
  “I think it’s like 12 to 14 times, but plus two Skype calls in total over a four year period.”
  — Bill Gates

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:00: Introduction of photo evidence and initial questioning of Gates
• 02:19: Gates explains the dinner’s purpose
• 03:50: Details on what was discussed, including global health and economies
• 06:15: Melinda Gates’ negative impression and advice
• 08:15: Discussion of who Epstein introduced Gates to
• 09:40: Questions on background checks, NDAs, and “Barack” reference
• 10:55: Discussion of threats/requested reimbursement from Epstein
• 11:40: Warren Buffett’s decision-making and fallout
• 12:40: Gates estimates number of meetings with Epstein

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Summary Takeaways

This episode dives into Bill Gates’ congressional testimony about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, focusing on the context, purpose, and fallout of their meetings, the veracity of claims about donor connections, and the lessons Gates claims to have learned. Gates remains measured in his responses, consistently emphasizing the tenuous utility of Epstein as a connector, the lack of direct benefit to the Gates Foundation, and his regret—especially in light of Melinda Gates’ discernment. The persistent congressional questioning underscores a broader skepticism about the true nature and frequency of these elite gatherings, while Gates reiterates the limited scope and factual context of his engagement with Epstein.

Transcript

[Bill Gates]

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[Bill Gates]

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[Bill Gates]

Sigues.

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[Bill Gates]

What's up, everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to get right back to the Bill Gates transcript from his meeting with Congress. Mr. Bell. Good evening, Mr. Gates. Wesley Bell, Missouri's first district. I'm going to introduce what's been labeled as minority exhibit M, which is a photo of you, Mr. Epstein, Boris Nikolic, Jess Staley and Larry Summers. Is that correct? GATES? Yeah. BILL and when was this photo taken? Answer by Gates. Yeah, I can give you the date. There it is. No, you just won't buy it. Mr. Moran. No, this is a different one, Gates this is a different one, Mehran, than the one we just. Then what? You just gets cut off by Gates? Okay, but it's on the same night. I mean, there's only one night that these five people are in the same location. So if you just tell me that date. Question. May 2, 2011. Gates. This is a dinner at Epstein's New York residence on May 2, 2011. I would like to go piecemeal. So this was May 2 and what year? Gates 2011. Bell. 2011. And where was the photo taken? GATES. This was at Epstein's New York residence. BELL. And this was the first gathering or a gathering of some sort?

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Of.

[Bill Gates]

There was a dinner that all five and only the five people you see here had dinner together. I believe this was after the dinner. And what was the purpose of that dinner? Yeah, this is the second time that I meet Epstein and I'm in New York for other things, and we had dinner. I would say the discussion was pretty broad ranging with Dr. Summers talking about the economy and a variety of things, Jess Daly talking about a few of the economy things going on. And in all of these meetings, I would have brought up the foundation work I was doing. BELL. Okay, but the meeting, the dinner, the purpose of it, what was the original purpose of the meeting? Gates. You know, this is the second time I meet Epstein. So this idea of going after donors, that really doesn't. It may have been mentioned casually, but it's not until 2013 that there's any real engagement on that. So it may have come up. You know, I at the time thought having a chance to listen to Dr. Summers and Mr. Staley would be educational to me. And I was there for other reasons, and this fit into my schedule. So this was the second time that I saw Mr. Epstein. I saw him one more time that year where he dropped by my office. And that, you know, that's the three meetings in 2011. And then a year goes by, and in the fall of 2013, the there's two meetings, and then you have to get out into 2013 before there's any additional meetings. Bell. And just to be clear, other than the economy or economic discussions, what else was discussed?

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Gates.

[Bill Gates]

You know, news of the day, where the foundation was succeeding, what was challenging for the foundation? Dr. Summers, you know, worked at the World bank and had been part of a book that was very influential to me called the World development report in 93, which went through why children under 5 die. And it broke it down. And that piece of work that he was the head of the project doing that had a substantial impact on me. And I remember bringing it up to him that he influenced my decision to devote philanthropic resources to saving children's lives. BILL. So at the time, did you know Jess Daley? Gates. No. This is the first time and the last time I ever met Jess Daley. I knew of Jess as a very senior J.P. morgan officer. Bill did you know Larry Summers? GATES. I know a lot about Larry Summers. I'm trying to think if I had met him in person before the dinner. I never had a dinner with Larry Summers. I may have met him, but this was my first extended conversation with him. Bill and Mr. Gates, who else was at this gathering? Mr. Gates, Dr. Nikolitch and Mr. Epstein. Mr. Bell just the people in the photo. Yeah. The dinner was with exactly the five people you see in this photo. Apparently, there's multiple versions of the photo. Belle cuts him off. So who took the photo? Gates. Good question. It's clearly not a selfie. Mr. Don't remember. GATES I don't remember. Maybe the cook, maybe an assistant. I'm not sure. And then the last question. Were there any young women present on. On that occasion, Gates. None. Bell I yield back now. It's Mr. Submaranium. Thank you again for being here. I haven't been here the whole time today. Today is a busy day. So I apologize if any of the questions I ask you have already been asked. But I'll do my best. But I think earlier. So you've been mentioning the purpose of knowing Mr. Epstein was he would introduce you to folks who would contribute to the Gates foundation. And I was just wondering if you could kind of rattle off some people he introduced you to, I think I heard Leon Black and Josh Harris and Mort Zuckerman, maybe Tom Pritzker. Is there anyone else he introduced you to for the purpose of supporting the Gates Foundation? Gates. Well, two things. First, the contributions of Global Health would not have come to the Gates Foundation. Submaranium. I see. Gates. They would have gone to things like Global alliance for Vaccines or the Global Fund and other endeavors to help Global Health, but not to the Gates Foundation. Submarine. Thank you, Gates. Secondly, Epstein was pretty vague about specific names for a long time, and that was frustrating to me. And particularly after dinner in fall of 2013 when my ex wife, Melinda came, she had a very negative reaction to Mr. Epstein and was saying, look, you know, either get these donations, you know, maybe you should just cut it off now, showing better judgment than I showed, or, you know, make this concrete. And I chose to continue pursuing it, but then I was very hardcore. Jeffrey. Okay, who are these people? Let's meet with them. And there's a lot of delay, but eventually the results in September 2014. Is it September 2014 meeting where we're finally meeting for the first time? This is Epstein showing who he thinks might do this, you know, different from this broad illusion to lots of Wall street billionaires, lots of Middle east billionaires, you know, he had me meet with people who, as I said, were friendly but didn't fit that as they were not in any near term going to give substantial resources to global health. Mr. Summeranian, I apologize. Who are these people? Gates? The people I met that day were Leon Black. I don't know if we were scheduled to see Josh Harris or if he was just in the office there. And that was impromptu, but we saw him. Mark Zuckerberg, Tom Pritzker, and that's all Summer Anium. Did he ever bring up Les Wexner? Gates ever bring up Summer Anium, Les Wexner as someone who would. Gates? No, that name never came up. Submaranium. Okay. And there was one name, one email, and I apologize, I don't have Copies of it. I can give it to you, but there's an email on September 16, 2013 saying did Je want to meet to follow up with and then redacted and see if her would like to come join Je's meeting with Barack Bill Gates.

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[Bill Gates]

Gates I should. I should take a look at that. Submaranium. Yes, I'll give you a copy. Gates. I don't remember it. Submernium. You weren't on the email, I believe. But I guess I want to know who Barack is because Barack seems to be. There are a lot of Baracks. It could be Ehud Barack. It could be Barack Obama. Mr. Gates. Yeah. I never met any Baracks in connection with Epstein. There were no Baracks whose names were mentioned or that I met with. Submaranium. Okay. Thank you. And did he Epstein ever have you sign an NDA at any point or have anyone sign an NDA? Gates No, I never signed anything in connection with Epstein. Subranian. And did you have him sign an NDA or anyone else sign an NDA at any point? GATES Not Mr. Epstein. I think I mentioned earlier that it may be when somebody comes into the Gates Ventures employee or the foundation they do, but I'm not familiar with what specific practices are submaranium. And then did you do any sort of background check on him? Gates on whom? Submaranium On Jeffrey Epstein. Gates I wish I had done more, but I did enough to know did do enough to know that he had been criminally convicted in 2008 or 2009 of a sexually related offense. Mr. Subranium. And since the experience with him, do you do more thorough background checks now? Gates? Absolutely. Okay, thank you. That's all I have. Mr. Krishnamoorthy is now asking questions. Thank you. Mr. Gates. Congressman Raja Corporation. Krishnamoorthy From Illinois. Did Jeffrey Epstein ever reference foreign intelligence agencies to you? Gates? He did not question. Did you ever have any evidence or see any evidence that he might have been a foreign asset? Gates I did not question. Did he ever make any threats to you about revealing any particular piece of information about you or your family or your background? GATES well, I view the attempt to have me reimburse him for things he purportedly paid for for the bridge player, I viewed that as taking a step beyond the veiled comments he made during Dr. Nikolic's exit. You know, at that point, although it's kind of trivial sum of money, I thought that, you know, was moving further down the line of him threatening, although, you know, the way he phrased it is that this was just a reimbursement for something I did, even going as far as to pretend that I had somehow encouraged him to do so, which is completely false. Mr. Krishnamoorthy and how much money was that again that he asked you to pay back? GATES I won't remember the amount, but it's, you know, thousands of dollars, not tens of thousands of dollars. KRISHNAMOORTHY okay, Besides that, did he ever ask you for any other money? GATES no, I never paid him. I made it clear he would not be paid and I never paid him. KRISHNAMURTI okay, in your discussions with any other world leaders or, or any other dignitaries, has anybody else referenced Jeffrey Epstein in the context of him having made threats to them or comments to the effect that he might be an intelligence asset? GATES no mention of Jeffrey Epstein has ever come up in any discussion with the world leaders that I have met. KRISHNAMOORTHY FORBES I'm sorry. Wall Street Journal reported that Warren Buffett stopped giving the Gates foundation in part because of the Epstein situation. And in March of this year, he told CNBC that that he's going to make his decision in June of this year, so this month as to whether he's going to give more to the Gates foundation based on what else he sees with the Epstein files, what did he tell you gives him cause for concern with regard to your relationship with Jeffrey Epstein? GATES the last time I talked to Warren directly was in January, where we didn't talk about this. I think it was prior to the release of the Epstein files. We we talked about my health challenges and some other things. I'm sure you know, he's looking at the press. I don't think he has any knowledge other than what he's reading in the press. Question. In an interview with Emily Kirkpatrick, your wife Melinda said that when you first met Jeffrey Epstein. I'm sorry, this is an interview with Gail King of CBS this Morning. She said, I regretted meeting Jeffrey Epstein the second I walked in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. What did she say to you about the first meeting that led her to believe that he was evil personified. Gates yeah. So I believe her only meeting with Epstein was the dinner that I had described that she came to. And she definitely had a very negative impression of him. Krishnamurthy why? Gates? Her instinct about arrogant men or I'm sure what. But she certainly showed better judgment than I did. Question we have in our notes that you met with Jeffrey Epstein 10 times, at least 10 times. What's the number that you, what is the number of times that you believe that you met with Jeffrey Epstein, Mr. Gates? You know, I think it depends on whether you count Skype calls or the one time he dropped by my office, you know, there was a dinner, a TED dinner that we both attended, but I didn't talk to him. You know, I think it's like 12 to 14 times, but plus two Skype calls in total over a four year period. Mr. Krishnamurthy okay, thank you very much. All right, folks, we're going to wrap up right here and in the next episode, we're going to pick up where we left off. All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.