Bill Gates admits to affairs with Russian women, WSJ reports

Bill Gates 'took responsibility' over ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation on Feb. 24, the group said in a statement.

Gates answered questions at the twice-a-year meeting on a range of issues, "including the release of the Epstein files," the foundation said. "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," the foundation said.

The statement came in response to a Wall Street Journal report, which said that Gates had apologized to staff during the town hall over his ties with Epstein.

Documents released by the Department of Justice have indicated that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts.

According to the Journal report, Gates told staff that it was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. The report cited a recording of the comments Gates made in the town hall.