Key keywords: Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein, US Congress testimony, Epstein sex trafficking investigation, congressional hearing, Jeffrey Epstein associate network, US Department of Justice Epstein probe, Gates Epstein meeting records Multiple congressional sources confirmed on Tuesday that Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is scheduled to testify under oath before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight and Judiciary Committees as part of the ongoing sprawling investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long sex trafficking operation and alleged network of high-profile enablers. The development comes nearly 15 years after Epstein’s first 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor, and four years after congressional investigators first uncovered records of multiple private meetings between Gates and Epstein dating from 2011 to 2014, years after Epstein’s felony conviction was public record. Gates has previously acknowledged the meetings, calling them “a mistake” in a 2021 interview, and stated that he cut off all contact with Epstein once he learned the full scope of Epstein’s criminal activities. He has repeatedly denied any participation in or knowledge of Epstein’s illegal sex trafficking ring, which exploited dozens of underage girls across the U.S. and internationally between the 1990s and 2019, when Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan federal jail while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges. Congressional aides leading the probe stated that Gates’ testimony is considered a critical piece of the investigation, as investigators seek to map out the full scope of Epstein’s extensive social and professional network, which included politicians, business leaders, academics, and royalty across the globe. Investigators plan to question Gates about the nature of his meetings with Epstein, any third parties who were present at those meetings, any financial or philanthropic projects the pair discussed, and whether Gates ever encountered any of Epstein’s underage victims during their interactions. A spokesperson for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation confirmed in a statement that Gates has agreed to cooperate fully with the investigation, and will appear for a closed-door testimony first, with potential public remarks to follow at the committees’ discretion. The spokesperson added that Gates has already provided over 1,200 pages of relevant documents, including calendar records, email correspondence, and meeting notes, to congressional investigators over the past 18 months. The exact date of Gates’ testimony has not been publicly announced to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, but committee leaders have stated it will take place before the end of 2024.