Prominent Nick Kristof Donor Bill Gates Questioned By Congress Over Yearslong Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein
Bill Gates, a prominent donor to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's failed campaign for Oregon governor, faced congressional questioning this week over his longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates, who contributed $50,000 to Kristof's campaign in 2021, appeared before the House Oversight Committee this week as part of its investigation into Epstein, a registered sex offender who killed himself in jail in 2019 after his arrest on charges that he trafficked underage girls.
Gates has been at the epicenter of the Epstein scandal for years. The Microsoft founder was photographed with Epstein as well as Prince Andrew, the British royal stripped of his title over allegations that he raped girls Epstein procured for him.
Gates reportedly testified Wednesday that he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Gates has said he met Epstein in 2011, which was two years after Epstein was convicted in Florida of soliciting underage girls for sex.
Kristof has written about the Epstein scandal, including a column in February entitled, "What Trafficked Girls Think of Jeffrey Epstein and His Pals." Gates, who has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, is not mentioned in the column.
Kristof, who recently pushed an unfounded claim from Hamas operatives that the Israeli military uses dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners, received campaign donations from other Epstein associates, according to campaign finance reports.
Reid Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn and a prominent Democratic donor, contributed $100,000 to Kristof's campaign. Hoffman has acknowledged that he helped Epstein burnish his public image by hosting him at dinners and other events with other tech executives.
Hoffman apologized for the relationship in 2019, saying he cut off contact with Epstein in 2015. But emails released by the Department of Justice earlier this year show Hoffman and Epstein met for dinner, spoke by phone, and had Skype appointments through at least 2018, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Larry Summers, a former Clinton administration official and Harvard economist, contributed $5,000 to Kristof's campaign, records show. Summers communicated frequently with Epstein for years, including until the day before Epstein's arrest in July 2019. In that email, Summers sought Epstein's advice regarding a relationship with a female underling.
The donations to Kristof went for naught after he was disqualified from the Oregon ballot in February 2022. The Oregon Supreme Court ruled that Kristof, who had a summer home in Oregon and registered to vote there in 2020, did not meet the state's three-year residency requirement.