The Gates Foundation is set to reduce its workforce by about 20% while launching an independent investigation into Bill Gates’ ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to an internal email revealed by the Wall Street Journal, the charity is making significant organizational changes amid the ongoing scrutiny of Gates’ relationship with Epstein. The foundation has been under the spotlight since details about this relationship emerged.
In a memo sent out on Tuesday, CEO Mark Suzman stated that an external inquiry has been initiated to examine the foundation’s connections with Epstein, as well as to reassess the procedures for vetting new philanthropic partnerships. “This is a challenging time for us in many respects, but it underscores the necessity for decisive action now,” Suzman noted. Updates on this review are anticipated later this summer.
The situation escalated in January when emails released by the Justice Department showed communications between Epstein and foundation staff. These documents also included photographs of Gates alongside Epstein and an altered image of Gates with a woman whose face was obscured.
In February, the foundation clarified in a statement that it had neither compensated Epstein nor engaged him in any formal capacity. The organization expressed remorse regarding an employee’s connection with him. During a City Hall meeting that month, a spokesperson informed Reuters that Gates had “acknowledged his actions” concerning his interaction with Epstein.
Gates has maintained that his association with Epstein was strictly for charitable purposes and conceded that meeting him was a misstep. He further denied any interactions with Epstein’s abuse victims.
Nonetheless, the recent release of Epstein’s documents has revealed distressing accusations against Gates, including a claim that he intended to secretly administer medication to his wife for a sexually transmitted infection before she was aware of it.
The 2013 email seems to be authored in the voice of Boris Nikolic, a senior advisor to Gates, but it was directed solely to Epstein. It stated that Gates was attempting to “acquire medications to deal with the ramifications of being intimate with a Russian woman,” the report indicated.
Epstein also mentioned that the billionaire sought antibiotics to discreetly give to his then-wife, Melinda Gates.
The email appears to reflect a memo from Epstein to Nikolic, who suggested he would resign from both the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Ventures following some disagreement.
Epstein’s email began with a lengthy critique of Gates, where Nikolic’s tone suggested frustration, commenting, “I can’t believe you chose to disregard our friendship,” after Gates requested for Nikolic to “engineer a cover-up to protect your hard-earned reputation.”
