Bill Gates has admitted to having two extramarital affairs with Russian women and apologized to staff at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein during a recent internal town hall meeting.

According to multiple reports, Gates spoke to employees at the foundation's biannual town hall on Feb. 24, where he responded to staff questions about newly released U.S. Department of Justice documents related to Epstein and about his own conduct. A foundation spokesperson said he addressed the issues in detail and "took responsibility" for his actions.

Gates, 70, confirmed to staff that he had affairs with a Russian bridge player he met at bridge events and with a Russian nuclear physicist he met through business activities while he was married to Melinda French Gates, according to People. He said Epstein later learned of these relationships, which became part of the material referenced in Epstein's self-written draft emails released in the DOJ document trove.

At the town hall, Gates emphasized that the affairs were not connected to Epstein's trafficking operation and insisted he did not witness any crimes. "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," he told employees, according to accounts of the meeting.

Gates also revisited his long-scrutinized history with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in custody in 2019, calling it a "huge mistake" to have associated with him, Reuters reported. He explained that he began meeting Epstein in 2011 in hopes of securing philanthropy for global health from wealthy contacts Epstein claimed to know, but said that effort ultimately "was a dead end."

He told staff he never visited Epstein's private island and never spent nights at Epstein's properties, though he acknowledged traveling with him on private aircraft and meeting in several locations in the United States and abroad. Gates reiterated that he never spent time with victims or the women around Epstein.

Gates said his misjudgment in dealing with Epstein and his private conduct have damaged the foundation's reputation and created concern among employees. He apologized to staff and noted that the controversy is "the opposite" of the organization's values and could affect whether partners choose to work with the foundation, as per CTV News.

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Bill gates, Melinda Gates, Jeffrey Epstein, Cheating