Bill Gates isn’t perfect.
See Exhibit A:
But on the scale of “big mistakes” to make, befriending an accused sex trafficker is definitely pretty high up on the list of no-nos. Which Gates understands (now), and feels sorry about (now). On Wednesday, Anderson Cooper invited the billionaire Microsoft founder and uber-nerd onto Anderson Cooper 360° to chat about COVID, but Cooper wasn’t about to let the opportunity to discuss Gates’ recent divorce (which was finalized on Monday) or the rumors that the dissolution of his marriage was, in part, due to his blossoming friendship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
After lobbing a few softballs his way about how he was holding up amidst his divorce, Cooper then went in for the kill when he asked Gates to “explain” his relationship with Epstein and whether he had “any concerns” about being associated with him. But Gates seemed prepared to defend his actions, while minimizing his link to the late, disgraced financier, explaining:
“I had several dinners with him, you know, hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health through that he had might emerge. And when it looked like that wasn’t a real thing, that relationship ended. But it was a huge mistake to spend time with him [and] give him the credibility. There were lots of others in the same situation, but I made a mistake.”
Bill Gates explains his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying they shared “several dinners” in which he hoped to raise “billions of philanthropy.”
“When it looked like that wasn’t a real thing, that relationship ended… it was a huge mistake to spend time with him.” pic.twitter.com/ljBMYD94Ei
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) August 5, 2021
Cooper then went on to talk about Gates’ admission that he had an affair with an employee 20 years ago, and recent reports that he has creeped some of the women he works with, who have said that his “behavior has created an uncomfortable workplace environment.” Cooper wanted to know whether Gates had any regrets. To which he replied yes, but added that “it’s a time of reflection and… at this point I need to go forward. You know, my work is very important to me. Within the family, we’ll heal as best we can and learn, learn from what’s happened.”
Sure. Because at 65 years of age, how should you be expected to know that sexually harassing your employees is a bad thing?
As The Wrap pointed out, one thing Cooper did not ask about was the “statement [Gates] made in a 2011 email, that Epstein’s ‘lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me.’ When that email was made public in 2019, Gates claimed that he was referring to Epstein’s interior design preferences.”
If only Clippy could help in coming up with better excuses.
You can watch the full clip above.
(Via The Wrap)