Gates among 7 asked to testify before House committee on possible Epstein ties

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is among 7 radical who connected Tuesday were asked to attest earlier the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding its ongoing probe into convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The six others are Lesley Groff, a erstwhile longtime enforcement adjunct to Epstein; Sarah Kellen, different erstwhile Epstein employee; Kathryn Ruemmler, erstwhile White House counsel to erstwhile President Barack Obama; Leon Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management; Doug Band, a longtime idiosyncratic adjutant and counsellor to erstwhile President Bill Clinton, who on with his wife, erstwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, some testified separately connected Epstein earlier the House Oversight Committee past week; and tech billionaire Ted Waitt, a erstwhile boyfriend of Epstein subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell, who attended Chelsea Clinton's 2010 wedding arsenic a impermanent of Maxwell.

In the 7 letters, House Oversight Committee seat James Comer writes that the committee believes the recipients "have accusation that volition assistance successful its investigation."

Comer explains that the committee is reviewing the "alleged mismanagement of the national government's investigation" into Epstein and Maxwell, ways successful which Epstein and Maxwell "sought to curry favour and workout power to support their amerciable activities," and "potential violations of morals rules related to elected officials."

The 7 were fixed grounds dates ranging from April 16 to June 9.

A spokesperson for Gates indicated that helium planned to attest earlier the committee.

"Gates welcomes the accidental to look earlier the Committee," the spokesperson told CBS News successful a statement. "While helium ne'er witnessed oregon participated successful immoderate of Epstein's amerciable conduct, helium is looking guardant to answering each the committee's questions to enactment their important work."

Jennifer Connelly, a spokesperson for Ruemmler, told CBS News that Ruemmler "welcomes the accidental to look earlier the Committee."

"At the clip she interacted with Jeffrey Epstein, she was a practicing transgression defence lawyer and shared a lawsuit with him," the spokesperson said. "She has done thing incorrect and had nary cognition of immoderate ongoing transgression enactment connected his part."

An lawyer for Groff said she had nary remark connected the letter. 

CBS News has besides reached retired to Black, Band and Waitt for comment, and is attempting to interaction Kellen. None of the 7 person been criminally charged with wrongdoing successful transportation with Epstein.

The House requests travel aft the Justice Department successful December began the process of releasing millions of files related to its decadeslong probe into Epstein, a affluent financier who was accused of moving an extended enactment trafficking cognition with Maxwell's aid. The 2 are believed to person victimized dozens of underage girls and women.

The Justice Department only released the files aft Congress passed a measure successful November, signed into instrumentality by President Trump, compelling it to bash so.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded blameworthy successful Florida to authorities charges of soliciting prostitution successful speech for having a national lawsuit against him dropped. He served 13 months successful region jailhouse and had to registry arsenic a enactment offender.

A New York national expansive jury indicted Epstein on kid enactment trafficking charges successful July 2019, but helium was recovered dormant weeks later, successful August 2019, in a Manhattan jail. His origin of decease was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell was convicted successful 2021 of national enactment trafficking charges and aboriginal sentenced to 20 years successful prison.

The released files, however, person revealed the affluent financier's heavy connections to the affluent and almighty that persisted good aft his Florida conviction.

Bill Gates traveled with Epstein connected backstage plane

Last week, Gates apologized to the unit of his philanthropic Gates Foundation for his ties to Epstein, which helium said began successful 2011 and continued done 2014.  

According to audio of the apology obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Gates told unit helium and Epstein shared a backstage pitchy unneurotic erstwhile and spent clip successful Germany, France, New York and Washington.

Included successful the trove of DOJ files were two emails Epstein sent to himself on July 18, 2013, containing unverified allegations that Gates had extramarital "sex with Russian girls" that resulted successful a sexually transmitted corruption requiring antibiotic treatment. In 1 email, Epstein claimed Gates besides sought to "surreptitiously give" antibiotics to his then-wife, Melinda Gates. 

The emails appeared to person been written by Epstein connected behalf of an aggrieved worker of Gates who was resigning. 

Regarding those allegations, a Gates spokesperson told CBS News successful January that the "claims are perfectly absurd and wholly false. The lone happening these documents show is Epstein's vexation that helium did not person an ongoing narration with Gates and the lengths helium would spell to entrap and defame." 

At past week's municipality hall, according to the Journal, Gates admitted that helium "did person affairs, 1 with a Russian span subordinate who met maine astatine span events, and 1 with a Russian atomic physicist who I met done concern activities." 

Kathryn Ruemmler wrote that she adored Epstein

Ruemmler served arsenic White House counsel nether Obama from 2011 to 2014, earlier joining the instrumentality steadfast Latham and Watkins successful 2014 and past Goldman Sachs successful 2020. 

Ruemmler appeared respective times successful the Justice Department's released files, including a December 2015 email speech successful which she wrote that she adored Epstein.

In May 2015, Epstein asked Ruemmler if she could get filmmaker Woody Allen and his woman Soon Yi a circuit of the White House, which took spot successful December 2015, according to White House records.

Last month, Ruemmler announced she would resign from her relation arsenic apical lawyer for Goldman Sachs successful the aftermath of the released files.

Leon Black received guidance from Epstein connected however to grip fallout from an affair

The DOJ's documents show that Black, co-founder of concern steadfast Apollo Global Management, received proposal from Epstein connected however to support a six-year matter with a Russian pistillate from going public.

In 1 September 2015 email, Epstein suggested to Black that helium prosecute erstwhile instrumentality enforcement officers to attack the pistillate astir signing a nondisclosure agreement.

"Choose method of connection delivery, my choice. - 2 highly respected erstwhile ---- capable successful the blank, immigration, scotland yard. sfo. . who whitethorn sound connected her doorway and contiguous the terms," Epstein wrote.

In October 2015, the pistillate signed a nondisclosure statement with Black successful which helium agreed to wage her $100,000 monthly for 15 years, forgive a $1 cardinal indebtedness and supply 2 cardinal British pounds for her to get ineligible presumption successful the U.K. 

Senate Finance Committee documents besides showed that Black paid Epstein $158 cardinal for taxation and property readying services. Black stepped down arsenic president and CEO of Apollo successful 2021. A instrumentality steadfast retained by Apollo's committee to reappraisal Black's dealings with Epstein cleared Black of immoderate imaginable wrongdoing. 

Laura Doan, Emmet Lyons, Graham Kates and Daniel Ruetenik contributed to this report.

In:

• Bill Gates
• Jeffrey Epstein