Throughout May and June, Melinda Gates and her team ran a very sophisticated operation on her then-estranged husband Bill Gates. Once Bill and Melinda filed for divorce, Melinda must have put her plan into action, because as everything was unfolding, it seemed sleazy and unbecoming, but now I can see the strategy at play for Melinda. She wasn’t looking to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Bill. But she did want to come out of the marriage with her reputation intact, and if that meant leaking just enough information to make Bill look f–king terrible, so be it.
The Jeffrey Epstein stuff was introduced early in the divorce story, and that was by design as well: Melinda wanted the world to know that she despised Jeffrey Epstein as soon as she met him, and Bill’s friendship with the man contributed to the end of their marriage. We also learned that Melinda first consulted divorce lawyers in early 2019, largely because of Bill’s then-ongoing friendship with Epstein. In June, the NY Times ran a lengthy story about Bill’s philandering and how Melinda hired a private investigator at some point and found out enough about Bill’s affairs and his Epstein relationship to send her running for the hills. The point? Bill Gates has likely misrepresented – or flat-out lied about – his dealings with Epstein. And he continues to do so. Bill appeared on Anderson Cooper’s CNN show Wednesday night and he said some words about Epstein and other subjects:
On his dealings with Epstein: “I had several dinners with him, hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health, through contacts that he had, might emerge. When it looked like that wasn’t a real thing, that relationship ended. But it was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there… You know, there were lots of others in that same situation, but I made a mistake.”
On the NYT report on Melinda’s concerns about his workplace behavior: Asked on Wednesday if he had regrets, Mr. Gates replied: “Certainly, everyone does.” He added later, “Within the family, we’ll heal as best we can, and learn from what’s happened.”
On working with Melinda on the foundation: “We are communicating and working at the foundation, so that partnership, we’re going to try and continue. Melinda has incredible strengths that she brings that help the foundation be better. We’ve always enjoyed our work together. The two of us can go out and work with leaders and help build the organization. That would definitely be the best thing for the foundation.”
On the pandemic: “We wanted to be nearer the end than we are, but Delta’s very bad news.”
Not to defend Bill – I couldn’t care less – but this was Epstein’s game and a lot of intellectuals, scholars, doctors, scientists and businessmen got sucked into what was basically Epstein’s pyramid scheme of depravity, lies and empty promises. Bill Gates is right when he says “there were lots of others in that same situation.” Of course, in this particular situation, it sounds like Bill is saying “why am I in it, Bill Clinton was on the plane too!” But truly, a big moment: Bill Gates finally admitting that the whole Epstein mess was a “huge mistake.”
Question: Can you explain your relationship with Epstein? pic.twitter.com/jHqO2VhbbK
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 5, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
I hope the Epstein situation opens the world’s eyes to how morally and ethically bankrupt the rich and powerful are – stop putting these people on a pedestal, and make sure they are all held accountable.
great comment
Cuomo, you are next!
award winning understatement of the year.
Thanks Captain Obvious.
Frankly, he sounds like a child. Parents always hear: “Yeah… I did it, BUT HE DID IT TOO!! Why am *I* the one in trouble??!” excuse.
At least he didn’t say something like “I was just too honorable to stop the friendship” or “the house was a really convenient place to stay.” Some of these billionaires/millionaires should really thank Prince Andrew – he made every other Epstein related excuse someone could make seem better.
LOL quite true, Becks1, quite true. That bar is as low as it gets.
That’s not exactly what he says. I think he’s more making the point how persuasive and seductive Epstein could be.
I’m a teacher and always hear “but other kids do it too”. My response is always “and there are lots of kids who don’t.” Choose your friends and role models carefully. You are responsible for your behaviour. No one else.”
He explained why it was bad (i.e giving the guy credibility) which is why I don’t get how he managed to make the mistake in the first place.
Bill Clinton is known for making unwise choices at times so using him as an example of how to get donations or hatch a communications/fundraising plan seems a little weird to me.
Most of the intellectual ones who got “tricked” seem morally dubious anyway. I’m not surprised by the names involved. Does Alan Dershowitz seem like he’d have any morals? Not really.
No one knew how Epstein made his money, which meant he wasn’t making it legally. Gates made a calculated decision, not a mistake. It’s only a mistake when it bites him in the a$$.
I’m surprised he couldn’t make a better calculated decision then. His wife was literally saying “uh, he hangs out with underage girls — this is not a good idea.”
They all make that mistake willingly, because it is never that big a deal among their people – the rich and privileged men and women. I’ve been around a few self-made millionaires and they live in a different level of consciousness, truly believing that the world is theirs and whatever they do is alright, because they’re re at the top.
I truly hope this change is for good and not some wave that will dry out in a few years, yielding to the greed and arrogance of the new generation of bazillionaires. When I think of the old dudes who do this, the hope is that they will just die out, but we need to make sure the new generation doesn’t follow the same “I will because I can” pattern of thinking.
Bill is only admitting it was a mistake because he has to. He & Melinda only split because they had to. Bill didn’t need to funnel cash to MIT via Epstein–he could have just cut them a check. He sampled what Epstein had to offer, as did many others in the Edge circles. Bill’s problem is that he’s more high profile than some of the rest & certain things will be brought to light, at which point Melinda will boot him from the Foundation.
Don’t make saints out of billionaires, folks.
Completely agree. And I’m 100% sure Epstein was the reason of the divorce. Either she knew things and realized it would blow up in their faces soon, or she discovered more and whatever she learned made her jump the ship as soon as possible.
Yeah, Melinda was playing a smart PR game. She wanted a quick divorce and she got it. Good for her.
As for Gates and Epstein – I don’t know how much Gates knew, or how much he knew he didn’t want to know, you know? (if that makes sense.)
With a lot of people like Epstein, part of the way they operate for so long is not always being corrupt and immoral and sometimes hiding their true operations and true nature. They can put on a different face to different people.
BUT I’m not sure how true that is with Epstein in particular- if you’re on his plane or at his house, aren’t you going to notice the underage girls wandering around everywhere?
But Epstein was convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution. Anyone who chose to hang out with him after that has some explaining to so.
Hmmm, there were loads of people who courted Epstein for donations, but they weren’t all on the plane. And sure, he was a master of deceit, but his conviction and imprisonment in 2008 should have been a red flag to anyone wanting to keep a clean public face.
Yup!
It seems like he met Epstein in 2011 and then kept meeting him a bunch of times throughout the years after that. That was after Epstein served 13 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender. I am not a billionaire, nor do I have to schmooze with shady people to solicit money for my philanthropic organization. But, like, come on. Come. On. We’re not stupid, Bill.
Also if I am rich and influential, I am going to vet the fuck out of anyone that comes near me. He was friends with Epstein because he wanted to be.
This
Admitting spending time with a man, who had been convicted sex of trafficking, procuring underage girls for prostitution, and who is pedophile is “a huge mistake”
Wow, the intellectual introspection required for this – LMAO
Ya think?!!!!! Bill Gates, you’re supposed to be a smart man.
Yeah, he’s supposed to be, but mostly he just has a really big pile of money.
If I had a big pile of money like that I bet everyone around me would tell me whatever I wanted to believe about myself, too.
Actually, he’s both a smart man and a really big pile of money. The problem is ego – he knows better than anyone else and his money makes him more entitled than anyone else. And because he’s a philanthropist, he thinks he gets a free pass on his personal behavior.
Saying the quiet part out loud. Gates is admitting dinners but of course he is leaving out more worse details. Epstein was a blackmailer. So what did he have on Gates? You can have dinner with a bad person but it’s not something you publicly apologize over and now it seems like he is on an apology tour. It always seems like he is trying to get ahead of a worse story, is he in Prince Andrew territory?
Epstein certainly knew how to appeal to powerful men. Provide all the young girls and a new world of sexual gratification while still making business introductions and talking of philanthropy. It had to have been an incredible experience, because smart men who should have feared exposure kept going back for the Epstein experience. In that atmosphere the nerdy Gates, and others, must have suddenly felt wildly attractive, witty and charming, sexy, yet benevolent and powerful. What a cocktail Epstein brewed, what an incredible experience he offered, to make so many forget the possible cost of hanging out with him.
Despite being married, Bill Clinton doesn’t really have a family-man image. Everyone knows he has skeletons that get drudged up from time to time.
Obviously, Bill Gates had farther to fall. Why he can’t see the difference is a little funny to me.
Also, hello Gates, we litigated Clinton for YEARS in the press and with an impeachment, led by a serial cheater and many times divorced hypocrite.
“But Bill” isn’t a GOOJF card. Bill Clinton paid. His family paid.
Rich and privileged celebrities are unethical scumbags, who are toxicly indifferent about the suffering of others. Unless they’re celebrities I like.
sell MSFT now, before it tanks.