WE ARE 100% INDEPENDENT AND READER-FUNDED. FOR A GUARANTEED AD-FREE EXPERIENCE AND TO SUPPORT REAL NEWS, PLEASE SIGN UP HERE, TODAY.
PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Bill Gates, called out her former husband over the release of millions of documents relating to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein.
📍WHEN & WHERE: French Gates made her comments during an interview on February 3.
💬KEY QUOTE: “For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.” – Melina French Gates.
🎯IMPACT: The Epstein files continue to impact many high-profile elites, leading to resignations and calls for further investigations.
IN FULL
Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said she felt “unbelievable sadness” after newly released documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein referenced her ex-husband, and included disturbing claims about his behavior. French Gates made the comments during an appearance on NPR, where host Rachel Martin asked how she reacted to a new tranche of Epstein-related records that became public as part of a large federal disclosure.
Among the documents is a draft email attributed to Epstein and dated July 18, 2013. The email alleges that Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection following encounters involving “Russian girls” and that he sought antibiotics that could be given to French Gates without her knowledge. The message also contains explicit personal language. A spokesman for Bill Gates strongly denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false,” and said the email reflects Epstein’s anger after Gates cut off contact with him.
French Gates, who divorced Bill Gates in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, said the renewed attention surrounding the Epstein files brought back painful memories. “For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage,” she said. She added that any unanswered questions about the claims are for those involved, including her ex-husband, to address, not her.
She also said the revelations prompted her to reflect on Epstein’s victims and the broader harm caused by his crimes. “I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, ‘My God, how did that happen to those girls?’” she said.
The comments follow the Department of Justice (DOJ) releasing millions of pages of records tied to Epstein’s activities and network of contacts. The disclosure includes emails, correspondence, contact lists, flight records, and other materials gathered during investigations into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Image by World Economic Forum/swiss-image.ch/Remy Steinegger.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.
show less
