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Deposition Transcripts · Segments · #9457
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9457
deposition id
12
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8
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Page 9
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Mr. Gates. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am here to answer your questions about my interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and to help contribute to the Committee's important work. I support the release of all the Epstein files and sincerely hope that through your efforts and those of others advocating on their behalf, the survivors of Epstein's crimes, Epstein's crimes, can get the justice that they deserve. At the outset, I want to state very clearly I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated. I was introduced to Epstein in 2011 through people I trusted in my professional and philanthropic work. Epstein claimed that he could raise billions of dollars for global health from people for whom he provided tax and estate services. I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed. I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have. For almost two decades, my full-time focus has been global health and education. I've been guided by the belief that all lives have equal value and that every child should have the chance to live a healthy life, no matter where they were born. I have committed all my resources and my time to this effort, but my wealth alone cannot fill the enormous funding gap that remains. This is why trying to encourage others of significant means to invest in global health has become such an important element of my work. My interactions with Epstein began with a limited number of preliminary meetings, three in 2011 and two in 2012, during which I talked about the goals of my work. We began more extensive conversations in 2013 and 2014. The discussions focused on identifying potential giving structures such as donor advice funds and how to enroll individuals he claimed were interested in making