House Oversight Committee calls Bill Gates, Leon Black to testify over Jeffrey Epstein ties

A House Oversight Committee has called seven more individuals to testify in Washington, D.C., about their ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell — including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; Leon Black, co-founder of investment firm Apollo Global Management; and Kathryn Ruemmler, former White House counsel to former President Barack Obama.

James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, fired off a new round of letters Tuesday after interviewing former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary last week as part of the panel’s expanding probe.

Others called to testify include Lesley Groff, a former longtime executive assistant to Epstein; Sarah Kellen, another former Epstein employee; Doug Band, a longtime personal aide and counselor to Clinton; and tech billionaire Ted Waitt, a former boyfriend of Maxwell.

Addressing each individual, Comer wrote, "Due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation."

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A spokesperson for Gates told Fox News Digital that he will appear before the committee for a transcribed interview scheduled for May 19.

"Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee," the spokesperson said. "While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work."

According to the roughly 3 million emails the Department of Justice released during the Epstein investigation, Gates reportedly had affairs and sought medication to treat a sexually transmitted infection for himself and his wife at that time, Melinda French Gates, without her knowing. 

Last Tuesday, Gates reportedly acknowledged having affairs with two Russian women, which Epstein later discovered, but said they did not involve Epstein’s victims.

"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," Gates said, according to a town hall recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Gates also admitted he was "foolish" to have spent time with Epstein, the outlet reported.

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Billionaire Leon Black, set to testify on May 13, has been accused of raping an autistic 16-year-old girl in 2002 at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, according to a high-profile lawsuit filed in summer 2023.

The victim alleged that Epstein and Maxwell groomed her to serve as a living "doll" for the late financier and his wealthy associates.

Black, who left Apollo Global Management in 2021, previously hired Epstein for personal tax advice, the firm said last month. 

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Ruemmler, who resigned as a top attorney at Goldman Sachs over her ties to Epstein, will appear before the committee on April 21, her spokesperson said Tuesday.

"Ruemmler welcomes the opportunity to appear before the committee," spokesperson Jennifer Connelly told Reuters. "She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part."

Ruemmler previously served as a White House counsel to Obama and an associate counsel to Clinton.

According to DOJ documents, she reportedly received gifts from Epstein and counseled him on managing media questions regarding his criminal activities. Connelly told the outlet that she was a practicing criminal defense attorney at the time and had even represented a client in common with Epstein. 

FOX Business’ Rebecca Rosenberg and Reuters contributed to this report.