Microsoft founder Bill Gates has admitted he made a "huge mistake" meeting deceased sex offender Jeffery Epstein.
The Billionaire attended several fundraising dinners with Epstein in the early 2010s, which Gates assumed would help gain potential donors for the Gates Foundation's global health initiatives.
Daily Mail reported that the Microsoft founder met Epstein in 2011 after he had been convicted of soliciting sex from a minor in 2008.
Gates claimed he didn't know attending meetings with the sex offender would help his case.
"At the time I didn’t realize that having those meetings it would be seen as giving him credibility. You’re almost saying, I forgive that type of behaviour or something," he told The Times.
He went on to tell The Times, "so clearly the way it’s seen I made a huge mistake not understanding that."
The Microsoft founder's ex-wife Melinda admitted in an interview with CBS Mornings that the meetings played a role in their divorce.
"I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffery Epstein, I made that clear to him."
Melinda also went on to say she met Epstein once and regretted it as soon as she walked in the door.
"He was abhorrent, He was evil personified, I had nightmares about it afterwards."
Bill and Melinda Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
Jeffery Epstein committed suicide in prison in 2019 Epstein while he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
