Rep. James Comer told Newsmax on Wednesday that Bill Gates answered every question congressional investigators asked him about his past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — including the hard ones.
“He answered every question that we asked, and there were some very difficult questions that he was asked,” the Kentucky Republican said on Newsmax’s “Finnerty.”
The House Oversight Committee chair said Gates sat for a closed-door interview earlier Wednesday as part of the panel’s broader review of Epstein’s network and ties to prominent figures.
“I appreciate that he came in voluntarily because he had enough legal firepower; he probably could have delayed this for quite some time.”
Comer said investigators pressed Gates on “the infamous email about STDs and the extramarital affairs and all of that.”
According to Comer, Gates told lawmakers he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct when the two were associated.
“He said the same thing every other powerful, rich individual has said — that they were manipulated by Epstein,” Comer said. “They didn’t know Epstein was involved in committing crimes with young girls.”
Comer noted that former President Bill Clinton and others connected to charitable foundations have made similar claims — saying they were introduced to Epstein through promises he could help raise money or provide financial support.
Asked whether he believed Gates’ assertion that he did not know Epstein was engaged in criminal activity, Comer said the committee is still verifying the testimony.
“He seemed sincere. We’ve got documents. We’re going to compare his answers to the documents to see if we believe him.”
Then Comer disclosed a previously unreported investigative step.
“We’re taking those transcripts to the Epstein victims and showing them what they said and seeing if they dispute any of that and if they have evidence to dispute it,” he said. “So, we’re double-checking and triple-checking everything he said.”
For now, the committee has no plans to recall Gates. But Comer left the door open.
“If we find that he said something that’s disputable, we’ll bring him back, or we’ll call him for some clarification,” Comer said. “But thus far, I don’t see anything that Bill Gates said that we have any evidence that would prove otherwise.”
