# Do you believe Bill Gates when he discusses Epstein? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 5, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390 "2026-02-05T16:24:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/21 "2026-02-07T18:30:44Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I have a question: how many of Epstein’s girls were underage? And how young were they? Most of the indictments seem to claim he targeted ages 14-17, but I’ve seen claims of lower and it may just have been they were being conservative in bringing the indictment to winnow it down to the most provable cases. However [Brad Edwards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_J._Edwards) that pursued a lot of these victim cases against Epstein claims that [Epstein was far and away his own main client](https://abcnews.go.com/US/jeffrey-epstein-key-victims-attorney/story?id=123805543). The trafficking according to Edwards was just a small part of the bigger picture of abuse - the vast majority of girls were for him alone. Quote from article linked above: “For the most part, those two worlds did not overlap. And where they overlapped, in the instances they overlapped, it seems to be a very small percentage,” Edwards said. “There were occasions where a select few of these men engaged in sexual acts with a select few of the girls that Jeffrey Epstein was exploiting or abusing – primarily girls who were over the age of 18.” ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/22 "2026-02-08T01:28:57Z")
There need to be legitimate investigations, which aren’t going to happen in the US no matter which party is in control of government. Luckily foreign nations are doing investigations. Having said that, I’m guessing (with no evidence) that Gates had sex with sex workers, but I’m assuming it was sex workers of age. Possibly girls who were 14-17 though too, not just 18+ sex workers. And with Epstein theres a high risk the sex workers were not there voluntarily. You don’t really catch STDs from having sex with virginal children. But again, there needs to be a legitimate investigation. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/23 "2026-02-08T01:32:13Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Luckily foreign nations are doing investigations. And the fun thing about that is that they won’t feel compelled to redact names. However, it will be interesting to see who ends up getting threatened with massive tariffs when they start digging. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/24 "2026-02-08T01:32:30Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I have a question: how many of Epstein’s girls were underage? And how young were they? My impression is Epstein wanted girls who were in their mid/late teens, but not legal because he could use them as blackmail. Its much easier to blackmail someone for having sex with a 14-17 year old than it is to blackmail someone who has sex with someone who is 18+. Epstein was fundamentally a blackmail operation who worked with intelligence agencies. Theres very little blackmail material in having sex with consenting adults vs non-consensual with children. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/25 "2026-02-11T18:33:14Z")
I can see the logic of him running a honeypot operation as true, but the key thing that hasn’t been substantiated, is where is the evidence of the blackmail? Which is sort of the primary purpose of such an operation. I think the more likely and reasonable one is that he used sex and the prurient interest of wealthy people with lower moral fiber, to join him and gain their influence to further his personal wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/26 "2026-02-11T21:29:12Z")
Melinda French Gates probably had very good investigative people. She found out about all the Epstien stuff before most other people. That was the basis for the divorce. She is very smart or Bill would not have married her in the first place. He screwed up, got caught, divorced, and probably thought that was it. Not over one little indescretion, rich men tend to have those, no, it was the whole Epstien saga. To the OP, no I do not believe a single word that he says, because he is sure he can get away with it. Smart guy at one time who changed the world with his products, then the richest man in the world became convinced that he is also the smartest man in the world. No respect left for him from me. Anecdote that has nothing to do with this: I was working at a feed manufacturer selling salmon and trout food. Guy calls me to order a box and I asked for a credit card to pay for it, he declined said it was for the Medina Project like I should know what that is. I said , you don’t know my CFO, I need payment and I said we could send it UPS COD, Ok. Week later we recieved a large business check from William Gates III for $44. It was a big hit from the finance staff when I told them I insisted that he pay. I don’t think they ever even cashed that check. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/27 "2026-02-11T21:58:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The Epstein stink is something that will never come off anyone involved. > > That said, nothing that has come out that I’ve seen is any evidence of illegal activity. The worst thing is the email that Epstein apparently wrote to himself. That’s only proof that Epstein wasn’t just evil, he was also really weird (see: painting of Bill Clinton in a dress). Right. > [@griffin1977](#): > > He was clearly involved in child rape. No evidence of that at all. > [@CoolHandCox](#): > > With that, and anyone explaining there association with Epstein, the big picture helps. There’s different categories… > > 1. people who just randomly came into contact with him; this is probably unfortunate. Wo will be forever tarred as a child rapist. You forgot another one- People who wanted Epstein to make a donation or get a free jet ride for their charity. > [@chappachula](#): > > I have a question: how many of Epstein’s girls were underage? And how young were they? In the territory that his island was in, the age of consent was 16, not 18. Many nations use that, like Japan (where it was recently changed from 13!) and Switzerland, etc. Brazil is 14 even. > [@DWMarch](#): > > And the fun thing about that is that they won’t feel compelled to redact names. _Victim names_ should be redacted, unless maybe they have publicly come forward. Same for people who were only tangentially associated. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I can see the logic of him running a honeypot operation as true, but the key thing that hasn’t been substantiated, is where is the evidence of the blackmail? Which is sort of the primary purpose of such an operation. There seems little evidence of that. > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > That was the basis for the divorce. It seems not- > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Well, I mean that was a big part of it - she said him admitting to an affair with a staffer was a big impetus to her filing for divorce. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/28 "2026-02-11T21:58:39Z")
So what is the Medina Project, and why did they need fish…? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/29 "2026-02-11T22:09:44Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No evidence of that at all. I agree there is zero evidence. Had congress representatives found him in the unredacted, I hope they would tell us. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/30 "2026-02-11T22:11:38Z")
Bill built a 66,000 square foot home in Medina, Washington just off Lake Washington south of Seattle. He had a live salmon stream flowing right through the living room. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/31 "2026-02-11T22:15:31Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > He had a live salmon stream flowing right through the living room. That is so damn cool. The Monterey Bay aquarium has a small trout etc stream, and I always wanted a copy of that. One time I was even allowed to feed the trout (special event for special members). ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/32 "2026-02-11T22:17:48Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Bill built a 66,000 square foot home in Medina, Washington just off Lake Washington south of Seattle Actually, east of Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/33 "2026-02-12T05:34:39Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I can see the logic of him running a honeypot operation as true, but the key thing that hasn’t been substantiated, is where is the evidence of the blackmail? Which is sort of the primary purpose of such an operation. > > I think the more likely and reasonable one is that he used sex and the prurient interest of wealthy people with lower moral fiber, to join him and gain their influence to further his personal wealth. > **[FBI Informant Claimed Epstein Was Israeli Spy, Document Shows - Politics Today](https://politicstoday.org/fbi-informant-claimed-epstein-was-israeli-spy-document-shows/)** > > The informant alleged that Epstein’s longtime attorney Alan Dershowitz, said Epstein “belonged to both U.S. and allied intelligence services.” > **[Why Epstein’s Links to the CIA Are So Important](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/jeffrey-epstein-cia-ties/)** > > We won’t know the full truth about his crimes until the extent of his ties to US intelligence are clear. The prosecutor who prosecuted Epstein for sex crimes against minors in 2008 was told that Epstein worked for intelligence agencies. [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/i-was-told-epstein-belonged-to-intelligence-and-to-leave-it-alone](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/i-was-told-epstein-belonged-to-intelligence-and-to-leave-it-alone) > “Is the Epstein case going to cause a problem [for confirmation hearings]?” Acosta had been asked. Acosta had explained, breezily, apparently, that back in the day he’d had just one meeting on the Epstein case. He’d cut the non-prosecution deal with one of Epstein’s attorneys because he had “been told” to back off, that Epstein was above his pay grade. “I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone,” he told his interviewers in the Trump transition, who evidently thought that was a sufficient answer and went ahead and hired Acosta. (The Labor Department had no comment when asked about this.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/34 "2026-02-12T15:37:10Z")
For sure if anyone in any administration at any time wanted to quell the Epstein prosecution simply to keep personally embarrassing secrets secret, telling the would-be prosecutor that the whole thing is an intel setup and so to leave it alone is a very easy thing to do. The challenge for us on the outside is that Acosta is (probably) telling the truth that he was ~~asked~~ told to back off because spooks. But was whoever up the food chain who originated the “because spooks” story telling the truth? We’ll almost certainly never know. Not whether it was the truth and not who that higher-level somebody was. And not specifically because of trumply misfeasance, although doubtless now the current criminal regime is aggressively covering whatever tracks they can find. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390/35 "2026-02-12T17:30:59Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The challenge for us on the outside is that Acosta is (probably) telling the truth that he was ~~asked~~ told to back off because spooks. But was whoever up the food chain who originated the “because spooks” story telling the truth? We’ll almost certainly never know And a particular set of spooks that keeps being referenced as at least partly to blame in the context of this case (Mossad), makes the imputation carry an unpleasant ulterior-motive stink. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-bill-gates-when-he-discusses-epstein/1027390.md?page=1)