Bill Gates "spoke candidly" at his foundation's town hall about his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a spokesperson.

"Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail" at a Tuesday town hall meeting, a Gates Foundation spokesperson said, noting that he "took responsibility for his actions," The Associated Press reported.

Gates appears multiple times in the Justice Department’s release of Epstein files. The DOJ's files include emails between Gates and Epstein about philanthropic projects, calendar entries documenting dates they met up, and photos of Gates at events that the two men attended.

Gates denies any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the disgraced financier. Gates has said that he met with Epstein to discuss philanthropy and believed he could help with raising money for issues like global health.

“Every minute that I spent with him I regret and I apologize that I did that,” Gates said earlier this month.

Following the DOJ's latest release of Epstein files last month, Gates pulled out of delivering the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi last week “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.”

Melinda French Gates, who left the Gates Foundation in 2024 to focus on her Pivotal Ventures philanthropy, said when asked about her ex-husband's ties to Epstein that he must “answer to those things.” Both Gates and French Gates have said that his relationship with Epstein caused problems in their marriage.