MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The name Bill Gates appears hundreds of times in the Epstein files. There are photos of the Microsoft cofounder with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. So the Republican-led House Oversight Committee brought Bill Gates in for questioning today as part of their ongoing investigation into Epstein. NPR's Ava Berger was on Capitol Hill today. She is here now. Hey, Ava.
AVA BERGER, BYLINE: Hi, Mary Louise.
KELLY: What did we learn from Bill Gates today?
BERGER: Well, the interview was behind closed doors. So we don't know exactly what Gates said until a transcript is released in the coming days. But he did stop and talk to reporters this morning when he arrived on Capitol Hill. He actually almost seemed relaxed, Mary Louise. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked around. But there was chaos around him. I mean, he was surrounded by police officers and his lawyers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BILL GATES: I'm glad to be here voluntarily to testify, to help with the committee's work. I hope my testimony is helpful to the important work of the committee to find justice for the victims. Thank you.
BERGER: We also got more information because Gates released the text of his opening statement this morning. In it, he said he never witnessed or knew about any of Epstein's crimes. And lawmakers say Gates is not accused of any wrongdoing related to his association with Epstein.
KELLY: Say more about the text that he released from that opening statement. What stood out from it to you?
BERGER: Yeah, so the big takeaway from this opening statement to me was how much he said his association with Epstein revolved around money. Gates said he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 to be connected with more donors for his foundation. Remember, the Gates Foundation has given billions of dollars to support global health initiatives.
KELLY: Right.
BERGER: In the statement, Gates said that he knew Epstein had faced legal issues, but Gates said he didn't understand the extent of Epstein's crime. To be clear, in 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty for soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution. Gates said he continued to meet with Epstein until 2014. At that point, he realized the discussions with Epstein were a, quote, "dead end" for raising money.
KELLY: OK. So I mentioned you were up prowling the halls on the Hill today. You were also trying to get lawmakers to tell you what Bill Gates told them. What'd they say?
BERGER: So Melanie Stansbury, she's a Democrat from New Mexico. She said that she directly asked Gates why he continued to associate with Epstein even though he was a registered sex offender. And Gates responded, money, Stansbury said. Here she is.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MELANIE STANSBURY: He admitted that he knew of Mr. Epstein's reputation. He admitted that he knew that he had been convicted of sexual crimes. But ultimately, in his words, he viewed this narrow relationship as being an acceptable means to access wealthy donors.
BERGER: And in his opening statement, Gates admitted that he had affairs during his marriage. And he said Epstein used information about his infidelity to try to pressure him to, quote, "reengage with him." Gates said Epstein wasn't successful at that. But lawmakers talked about this idea of Epstein blackmailing powerful people and how that was a theme that they've seen before. Here's what representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee said.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TIM BURCHETT: There's some questions that alluded to some blackmail-type things, what was going on there. And it's pretty clear to me, though, that Epstein was a friend collector. You know, he just liked to have people around him that were a big deal.
BERGER: A big deal. And Burchett also said that Gates was very, quote, "well-coached" in his replies. And he didn't expect to get too much information from the session today.
KELLY: Ava, we've just got about 30 seconds. Who does the committee want to hear from next?
BERGER: Yeah, so we know that they're going to have former Barclays CEO Jes Staley and billionaire investor Leon Black scheduled for this summer.
KELLY: All right. NPR's Ava Berger sharing some of her reporting with us. Thank you, Ava.
BERGER: Thank you, Mary, Louise. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.