Jeffrey Epstein, who was the center of a sex-trafficking storm until his suicide in August 2019, knew many powerful people who all came under scrutiny after his horrible crimes were revealed. Among the many illustrious names was that of Microsoft founder and billionaire, Bill Gates, who is currently in the midst of divorcing his partner of three-decades, Melinda Gates. A report by The Daily Beast, citing persons familiar with the situation, claims that Melinda was put off by Epstein when she met him and warned her husband against associating with the man.
Melinda met with Epstein in September 2013 on the day she accepted the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award together with her husband Bill. According to the report, the meeting ended up being a big turning point in the couple’s relationship. Several of Melinda’s friends revealed that she was very uncomfortable in the presence of Epstein. After reports of Epstein’s involvement in molesting underage girls came out, Melinda was apparently mortified.
A person who attended the same event stated that he isn’t surprised learning that Melinda was completely turned off by the man. “The people around him… had a varying spectrum of what they knew and what they didn’t know and how they rationalized it… A lot of people were uncomfortable with Epstein, completely independent of his [sexual misconduct]. He just was an obnoxious guy. He almost made a point of having bad manners, not paying attention at dinner… I could see how anybody, even without suspicions, would not want to be around him,” he told The Daily Beast.
A New York Times article from 2019 reported that Bill Gates had met with Jeffrey Epstein several times between 2011 and 2013 despite the latter’s history of sexual misconduct. Back in 2005, officials from Florida had investigated Epstein following a complaint from a parent that her 14-year-old daughter was sexually abused by the man. In 2008, the court convicted him for soliciting a prostitute and procuring a child for prostitution.
Gates eventually stated that he shouldn’t have associated with Epstein in any manner. “I made a mistake in judgment that I thought that those discussions would lead, literally, to billions of dollars to global health… And I gave him some benefit by the association. So I made a doubly wrong mistake there,” Gates said in a statement in 2019.
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Bill and Melinda announced their divorce a few days ago. The multi-billion-dollar divorce is being watched for the implications it might have on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which had an endowment of $49.8 billion as of 2019. Though they have announced that they will work together at the foundation for charitable causes, there have been talks of Melinda pursuing philanthropic activities outside the foundation once the divorce is finalized.
The Clinton connection
Another powerful person associated with Epstein is former U.S. President Bill Clinton who also has a history of sexual misconduct. In 1998, Clinton was impeached for obstruction of justice and perjury because of his actions that involved a casual sexual relationship with an intern at the White House. Some reports have suggested that Clinton has been seen on Epstein’s private island where the latter is said to have housed several trafficked girls.
Last month, The Sun published images showing Bill Clinton welcoming Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of procuring underage girls for the convicted pedophile to the White House. The two visitors apparently toured the presidential residence while attending a reception. The images were taken back in 1993, indicating that Clinton might be a long-time associate of Epstein. In 2014, Clinton had a private dinner with Maxwell, several years after Epstein was convicted of child molestation.
In March, Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a women’s empowerment event with Bill Clinton, an action that drew immense ridicule from some quarters. “This is obscene @KamalaHarris. You speaking with Bill Clinton about empowering women & girls is disgusting. Have you no soul? Have you no ethics? Ask him about being on an island of human trafficking victims 27 times. You are showing us exactly who you are,” Actress Rose McGowan said in a tweet.
