Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates acknowledged engaging in three extramarital affairs during a congressional hearing, naming a Harvard-trained doctor and a Russian nuclear scientist. The testimony, concerning his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, was part of an investigation by the House Oversight Committee.
Gates admitted to having an affair with Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt, described as a medical entrepreneur with a doctorate from Harvard Medical School. He also confirmed a relationship with Karima Nigmatulina, a Russian nuclear scientist. A third affair was with Mila Antonova, a Russian bridge player.
According to the transcript released from the hearing, Gates stated he informed his ex-wife, Melinda, about the affairs. He recalled telling her about the relationships in 2013, noting it was "very distressing to her," though divorce was not discussed at that time. The first affair, with Dr. Jacobs, began before 2010, and the affair with Nigmatulina occurred before 2013. Gates stated he met Nigmatulina through her work on "disease modeling and nuclear fission work" for TerraPower, a company in which Gates was a "substantial investor."
During the testimony, Gates was questioned about an email drafted by Epstein, seemingly from the perspective of Boris Nikolic, a former science advisor to the Gates Foundation. The email referred to keeping information about Alice Jacobs private between Gates and Nikolic. Gates explained that he had an affair with Dr. Jacobs and that Nikolic was a consultant to her, suggesting this might be the reason for the email's content. He denied discussing Epstein with any of the women he had affairs with, but acknowledged that Epstein likely knew about his relationships with the Russian women through Nikolic.
The committee also presented a section of the email where Epstein, writing as Nikolic, discussed Gates' alleged concerns about a sexually transmitted disease and a request for antibiotics. Gates denied ever having an STD, denied describing his penis to Nikolic, and stated he never covertly gave medication to anyone. He acknowledged expressing concern about potentially having an STD but did not recall the specifics.
Gates has previously apologized for his friendship with Epstein, who was a registered sex offender. He told Congress he wished he had never met Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019. Emails released by the Department of Justice indicated that Epstein sought reimbursement from Gates for expenses related to Antonova after Gates ceased contact in 2014. Gates stated that he instructed his advisors not to pay, telling one advisor they were "never going to pay anything," but acknowledged that Epstein's emails suggested he was considering leveraging the information. The hearing transcript was released earlier this month, following Gates' closed-door interview with the committee. IMAGE5 IMAGE1 
