Melinda French Gates says her ex-husband, billionaire businessman Bill Gates, has questions to answer for his presence in the newly-released trove of documents related to wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It is not the first time the computer entrepreneur has been mentioned in connection with disgraced financier Epstein, with their relationship having been well documented.
In the newly-released three-million-plus-pages, what appear to be drafted messages in Epstein’s email account allege Gates had organised trysts with women via Epstein and that he had contracted a sexually-transmitted infection.
The emails also chronicle what appear to be Epstein’s feelings of betrayal over Gates and accuse him of seeking STI antibiotics to secretly give to then-wife Melinda.
Representatives for Bill Gates told the New York Times Epstein was a “proven, disgruntled liar” and rejected all the allegations.
“The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame,” a spokesperson said.
Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, French Gates said the allegations reminded her of “very, very painful” times in her marriage to the tech giant.
“Whatever questions remain there of what – I can’t even begin to know all of it – those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband,” she said.
“They need to answer to those things, not me.”
The Gates’ announced their divorce in 2021, dividing a massive fortune as part of the split.
On Wild Cards, French Gates said she hoped for justice for Epstein’s victims.
“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.
“At least for me, I’ve been able to move on in life, and I hope there’s some justice for those now-women.”