Newly Released Texts Show Jeffrey Epstein Tried to Court Bill Gates and Pitch a Donor-Advised Fund

Congress on Nov. 13 released a tranche of documents that include 2017 text exchanges revealing Jeffrey Epstein's effort to cultivate a relationship with Bill Gates. The messages appear to be between Epstein and an adviser to Gates and discuss the tech philanthropist and other attendees at an annual Washington banquet.

Epstein sought Gates' support for a donor-advised fund — a tax-advantaged charitable vehicle Epstein proposed to operate — but the plan never materialized. According to the adviser reflected in the texts, Gates was receptive to the idea but was blocked by his then-wife, Melinda.

He wants to talk to you but his wife won't let him.

He loves you; he says hi; he feels bad about the donor-advised fund — he thought it was a great idea but his wife wouldn't allow it.

Later the same day Epstein suggested that Kathryn Ruemmler, a former White House counsel, "would love to sit with Melinda and give her the other side of Jeffrey." Ruemmler, now chief legal officer at a major financial firm, has characterized her interactions with Epstein as professional and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Requests for comment to Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were not returned. The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.

Gates has previously tried to minimize his ties to Epstein, saying in 2019 that he did not have a business relationship or friendship with him. After reporting that showed repeated meetings in the decade before Epstein's 2019 death, Gates said in 2021 that spending time with Epstein was a "huge mistake." Epstein's appointment calendar, released earlier, lists several meetings with Gates; Gates has said some meetings were related to fundraising and connections for global health philanthropy.

Epstein was a prolific networker who cultivated relationships with business leaders, politicians and celebrities, often presenting himself as a connector for the powerful. That reach continued even after he became a registered sex offender following a 2008 plea agreement in Florida, which allowed him to resume an internationally mobile social life.

As successive caches of Epstein's communications, flight logs and calendars have emerged, some associates have faced reputational consequences. For example, newly surfaced communications prompted former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers to resign from a corporate board role. In response to the broader controversy, both houses of Congress recently passed legislation requiring the Justice Department to release nearly all investigative files related to Epstein; the measure gives the department 30 days to comply once signed by the president.