Bill Gates Agrees to Testify Before House Oversight Committee on Epstein Ties in June

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has agreed to appear before the House Oversight Committee on June 10, 2026, for a transcribed interview as part of the panel's wide-ranging investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's network of associates and enablers. The agreement, announced Tuesday, makes Gates one of the most prominent private citizens to be called before the committee, which has already taken depositions from former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Les Wexner, and Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

A spokesperson for Gates said he "welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee," adding that Gates "never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein's illegal conduct" and "is looking forward to answering all the committee's questions to support their important work." The statement echoed what Gates has said publicly before: that his relationship with Epstein, which lasted from approximately 2011 to 2014, was a serious mistake. Gates told The Wall Street Journal that he had sought out Epstein as a potential conduit to wealthy donors for global health causes. "I thought it would help me with global health, philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that, and it was just a huge mistake," he said.

Gates apologized to Gates Foundation staff in February 2026 about the relationship, acknowledging that his association with Epstein had caused institutional harm. The Oversight Committee, chaired by Republican James Comer of Kentucky, wrote to Gates in March requesting his appearance, stating the committee "believes you have information that will assist" the investigation. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is scheduled to testify on May 6, ahead of Gates' June 10 appearance.

The committee's investigation has proceeded in tandem with broader Epstein-related political controversies in Washington. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was fired by Trump in early April and replaced by a new nominee, will not appear for her previously scheduled April 14 deposition. The House has threatened contempt proceedings against Bondi, though legal analysts note the departure creates complicated jurisdiction questions about whether the subpoena remains enforceable against a former cabinet official. Democrats have accused the administration of using Bondi's departure to shield potentially embarrassing information about Epstein's ties to Trump-era figures.

The Epstein probe has become one of the most politically charged congressional investigations in recent memory, touching prominent figures across both parties and across multiple decades. Epstein died in a New York federal detention facility in August 2019 in a death ruled a suicide but which has generated persistent controversy. Maxwell, his longtime associate, was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking charges and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. The House committee's investigation focuses on identifying the broader network of individuals who enabled Epstein's activities and potentially had knowledge of them. For Gates, who remains one of the world's most influential philanthropists through the Gates Foundation, the June testimony will be a moment of significant public scrutiny over a chapter of his personal history he has repeatedly described as among his gravest regrets.