Bill Gates says he ‘regrets’ association with Jeffrey Epstein; Melinda says questions remain
“I regret every minute I spent with him. I apologise that I did that,” Gates said.
His comments came after his former wife, Melinda French Gates, spoke publicly about the impact of Epstein’s links on their marriage, saying Gates must answer questions about the relationship.
Gates also rejected claims emerging from recently released Epstein-related documents which alleged that he hid a sexually transmitted disease from his wife. His office described the claims as false.
Addressing one specific allegation, Gates said Epstein had written an email to himself that was never sent.
“That email is false,” he said, adding he did not know why Epstein wrote it and suggested it may have been meant to harm him.
Gates said he met Epstein in 2011 and had dinner with him on several occasions to discuss possible funding for global health initiatives. However, he maintained that he never visited Epstein’s private island and had no sexual links connected to Epstein.
“In retrospect, that was a dead end,” Gates said.
In an interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates said the renewed focus on Epstein brought back painful memories from their marriage, which ended in divorce in 2021 after 27 years.
“There are questions that remain, and those questions are for those people, and for even my ex-husband,” she said. “They need to answer to those things, not me.”
She described her current life as being free from “the muck” she felt she had to leave behind.
The issue has resurfaced as scrutiny continues over Epstein’s connections with influential personalities, years after he died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The renewed attention has also prompted political calls in the US for further investigation, including demands that Gates testify before Congress.
Melinda French Gates said the focus should remain on Epstein’s victims. “No girl should ever have been put in that situation,” she said.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
