Bill Gates is again speaking openly about his past connection to Jeffrey Epstein as newly released documents renew public attention on the disgraced financier's circle.

The Microsoft co-founder says he deeply regrets ever spending time with Epstein and strongly denies allegations mentioned in the records.

In an interview with 9 News Australia, shared on Feb. 4, Gates said his association with Epstein was a mistake he wishes he could undo.

"Every minute I spent with him, I regret," Gates told political editor Charles Croucher. "And I apologize that I did that."

According to ENews, his comments came days after documents released on Jan. 30 included claims written by Epstein suggesting misconduct by Gates.

Gates firmly rejected those accusations. He explained that the claims came from an email Epstein allegedly wrote to himself and never sent.

"That email is false," Gates said. "I don't know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?"

Gates also denied allegations that he had inappropriate relationships with women or contracted a sexually transmitted disease.

He stressed that he never visited Epstein's private island and never met any women through him.

According to Gates, his interactions with Epstein were limited and focused on discussions he now regrets.

He said he first met Epstein in 2011 and only met him for dinner until around 2014. "The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health," Gates explained.

"In retrospect, that was a dead end. I was foolish to spend time with him."

Bill Gates Says Epstein Meetings Were a Mistake

Gates emphasized that, while meeting Epstein was a serious error in judgment, those meetings had nothing to do with criminal behavior.

"The more that comes out, the more clear it'll be that," he said, adding that he shares regret with many others who crossed paths with Epstein before the full scope of his crimes became public, People reported.

This is not the first time Gates has spoken about the issue. In 2021, he told CNN that spending time with Epstein was "a huge mistake" and said the relationship ended when Epstein's promises of philanthropy proved to be unrealistic.

The renewed attention has also affected Gates' former family life. His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, addressed the situation during a Feb. 3 appearance on NPR's Wild Card podcast.

She said the details are personally painful and bring back difficult memories from their marriage.

"Whatever questions remain... those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband," she said. "They need to answer to those things, not me."

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died one month later while awaiting trial.

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Bill gates, Jeffrey Epstein