House Oversight Panel Releases Transcript of Bill Gates Testimony on Epstein Relationship

Since the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee took closed-door testimony from multiple witnesses in early June, the panel has been releasing transcripts. Tuesday's release covers two witnesses: Bill Gates and Lesley Groff, Epstein's longtime executive assistant.

What Gates Said

Gates testified on June 10. The transcript, released Tuesday and first reported by CNBC, shows Gates telling committee members: "I should never have met with Epstein in the first place."

His stated reason for the meetings was fundraising. Gates said the contacts were designed to win financial support for the Gates Foundation, his global health and development philanthropy. He did not characterize the relationship as personal or social.

Gates told the committee he never witnessed Epstein participating in criminal conduct. Federal prosecutors have said that Epstein sexually abused scores of underage girls and young women.

What Groff Said

Lesley Groff worked as Epstein's executive assistant for 18 years. Her transcript covers testimony given on June 9.

Groff told the committee she never saw illegal conduct by Epstein. She described regularly scheduling what she understood to be legitimate massage appointments. "Mr. Epstein was, in hindsight, a master manipulator and deceiver who separated his legitimate life from his secret life as an abuser," Groff said, according to the transcript. "For 18 years, I worked for Dr. Jekyll, but was never permitted to see the true Mr. Hyde."

Groff's account fits a pattern that has emerged across the Epstein investigation broadly: people in his orbit who had sustained professional contact with him but claim ignorance of the criminal activity. Whether that claim is credible, compartmentalized, or something else is a question the committee appears to be working through.

The Strongest Counterargument

Critics of this line of congressional inquiry argue that hauling prominent donors and employees before a committee to ask whether they "witnessed" criminal conduct is largely performative. Epstein, by all documented accounts, was meticulous about keeping his abuse hidden. Witnesses saying they never saw illegal activity tells investigators almost nothing about what actually happened. The risk, these critics argue, is that the hearings produce headlines without accountability. The transcripts released Tuesday do not establish any new wrongdoing by Gates or Groff.

Congressional oversight of how Epstein maintained access to powerful institutions, and how those institutions responded once his conduct was known, is a legitimate function of the committee. What Gates knew, when he knew it, and the nature of his contacts with Epstein are questions that go beyond spectacle. The transcript does not appear to resolve those questions in detail based on what CNBC reported.

What the Transcript Does Not Settle

Gates's June 10 testimony describing his meetings with Epstein as fundraising efforts is his most detailed on-record account before the committee, but the transcript alone does not reveal how many meetings occurred, over what time span, or whether Gates Foundation staff raised concerns internally.

What Comes Next

The committee has not announced whether additional transcripts from other witnesses will be released, or whether Gates or Groff will be called back for follow-up questioning. The scope of the panel's inquiry, which witnesses have appeared, and what documents have been subpoenaed remain publicly unclear. The full picture of who testified, what was asked, and what was produced under subpoena will determine whether this investigation generates accountability or simply generates transcripts.