The Gates Foundation said Wednesday it is reviewing its ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, stepping up its response after released emails and Justice Department documents renewed questions for funders about its past engagement.
In a statement, the foundation said CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review in March, with support from chairman Bill Gates. The review is meant to assess past Gates Foundation engagement with Epstein and to examine current policies used to vet and develop new partnerships, the foundation said.
The foundation’s announcement comes as Justice Department records being closely followed by critics and supporters include email correspondence between Gates and Epstein about philanthropic projects, calendar entries showing dates they held meetings, and photos of Gates at events also attended by Epstein. The materials also reflect Gates’s account of their relationship, which the foundation says includes his denials about knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and his description of meetings limited to philanthropy.
The Gates Foundation has previously acknowledged that a small number of employees met with Epstein based on his claims that he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health and development. The foundation said at the time that it did not create a fund together with Epstein and that it made no payments to him, adding in that earlier statement that it regrets having employees interact with Epstein “in any way.”
Gates has faced renewed scrutiny over his appearances in the Justice Department documents, including accounts that he spoke “candidly” about his relationship to Epstein in a February town hall meeting attended by Gates Foundation staff and members, where he addressed the relationship. MSI previously reported that Bill Gates spoke candidly about Epstein ties at a Gates Foundation town hall .
The external review is expected to give the foundation’s board and management an update this summer, the Gates Foundation said. The foundation did not publicly name the third-party investigators who will conduct the assessment.
Supporters and donors have also reacted to the disclosures. Investor Warren Buffett, who resigned as a trustee in 2021, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last month that it was “clear” he “didn’t know” what he said was in the Justice Department materials. Buffett said he would “wait and see what unfolds” in the Justice Department documents and in congressional hearings, pointing to the Gates Foundation’s endowment size and saying Gates has “plenty of his own money.”
A Gates Foundation spokesperson described Buffett as “an extraordinarily generous partner” for nearly two decades in a Wednesday statement to The Associated Press. The spokesperson said the foundation was “deeply grateful” for his support, which enabled the foundation to accelerate progress on challenges it said would not otherwise be possible.
The foundation has also been managing other changes in its operations, including plans disclosed in January to cap operating costs and cut as many as 500 positions—about 20% of staff—by 2030. The move followed last year’s announcement that the foundation would close in 2045, earlier than previously expected.