Gates Foundation review finds 30 Epstein meetings despite warnings

NEW YORK (MNTV) — An external review commissioned by the Gates Foundation found that foundation leaders and staff, including Bill Gates, met Jeffrey Epstein roughly 30 times between 2011 and 2014 despite repeated internal warnings about the risks of associating with a convicted sex offender.

The review by law firm WilmerHale drew on interviews with current and former personnel, Gates among them, and on internal documents. It found no evidence that the foundation knew of or took part in Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes, that he was paid by the foundation, or that any meeting involved illegal activity.

What it did confirm is that staff raised concerns about his conviction and warned senior leadership, including Gates, about continuing the relationship — and that the meetings went ahead anyway.

The discussions were philanthropic: donor strategy, a potential donor-advised fund, introductions to nonprofits. Some took place at Epstein’s Manhattan residence, one at the foundation’s campus.

Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, has said he did not know about the financier’s crimes, and has acknowledged failing to scrutinize the relationship before entering it. The contacts ended in 2014.

The finding that matters is the one about warnings. Epstein’s 2008 conviction was public, and people inside the organization said so, in writing, to the top. The review’s conclusion is not that the foundation was complicit but that it was told and proceeded — a failure of judgment and risk assessment at an institution whose influence rests on its credibility.

The board has since approved stronger vetting of partners, donors, and funding intermediaries.