Bill Gates is the latest high-profile figure to testify in the Epstein investigation

Bill Gates testified before a congressional panel on Wednesday as part of the House Oversight Committee's investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein files. Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, was interviewed behind closed doors, a process the committee has used for other witnesses. Committee Chairman James Comer requested Gates' testimony after his name appeared in documents released by the Justice Department related to the Epstein probe. These documents, described as a "who's who" of powerful men in various industries, include calendar entries detailing meetings between Gates and Epstein, email correspondence concerning philanthropic projects, and photographs of Gates at events Epstein also attended. Their professional interactions reportedly began in 2011 and continued until at least late 2014. Gates has stated that his meetings with Epstein were solely for discussing philanthropy and has characterized his association with Epstein as "a huge mistake," while denying any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of minors. Epstein was federally indicted in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. The Justice Department alleged Epstein operated a network of underage girls for sexual abuse between 2002 and 2005.