Natasha Leake
Washington: Melinda French Gates has said she knew Jeffrey Epstein was “evil” from the moment she met him, describing the convicted paedophile as so repugnant that she suffered nightmares after encountering him.
The philanthropist and former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said women should trust their instincts when confronted by dangerous individuals, recalling an immediate sense of unease in Epstein’s presence.
“Have you ever in your life been around somebody that you just know is evil?” French Gates, 60, said in an interview with The Guardian.
“We need to listen to our feelings about people.”
She added: “Any woman who has ever been around somebody who is evil or had an experience and then if you’re around somebody else who is evil. Just no, no.”
During the interview, French Gates, whose net worth is estimated at $US30 billion ($42 billion), appeared to suffer from a panic attack when asked about Epstein.
On Wednesday, her former husband appeared before the House oversight committee in the US Congress, which has launched an investigation into the Epstein files.
Bill Gates’ close relationship with the registered sex offender was revealed in December after the US Department of Justice began publishing the files.
The billionaire admitted in February to having had affairs with two Russian women, who he claimed were not victims of Epstein.
The Gates’ 27-year marriage ended in 2021, the divorce partially fuelled by revelations about his friendship with Epstein, French Gates later said.
Speaking about Epstein in the interview, French Gates told The Guardian: “What I know is that bad things happen in darkness. We need to have more transparency.”
Asked why Epstein got away with his activities for so long, she replied: “The justice system didn’t do its job. It did not do its job. Full stop. This could have been stopped.
“And so again, I think that’s why, finally, we are having a reckoning in society. If we don’t want children to be harmed, the justice system has to work.”
French Gates was mentioned multiple times in the Epstein files. In an email addressed to Gates, Epstein wrote: “You have told me that Melinda insists on me ignoring our friendship, not even communicating with you.”
In a prepared statement delivered to the House on Wednesday, Gates claimed that Epstein used his knowledge of the Microsoft co-founder’s extra-marital affairs as “leverage” against him, adding that Epstein “was working to use information about my infidelities … to pressure me”.
“I learnt Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage,” he said.
“These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family.”
A full transcript of Gates’ testimony is expected to be published later this month.
The Telegraph, London
National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line: 1800 737 732. Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: 13 11 14
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