The Epstein files released by the Department of Justice last month painted Microsoft co-founder and vaccine champion Bill Gates in a particularly unfavorable light.

Amid uproar over her ex-husband's repeat mention in the files — including in a 2013 email wherein Jeffrey Epstein alleged that he procured for Bill Gates "drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls" — Melinda French Gates told NPR's "Wild Card" podcast, "It's personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage."

'Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse.'

While French Gates indicated that she has "been able to move on in life," her ex-husband is alternatively still dealing with the consequences of his long-standing association with the notorious child sex offender.

Gates reportedly apologized to the staff of the Gates Foundation for the fallout of his Epstein ties during a town hall on Tuesday, stating, "It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein," according to a recording reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

Gates, who has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims and whose spokesperson characterized the claims in the 2013 email as "completely false," reportedly stressed, "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."

The billionaire reportedly had an explanation for the photographs in the files featuring him in the company of women whose faces are redacted. Epstein asked to take pictures of his assistants with Gates after meetings, Gates claimed, according to the Journal.

RELATED: Epstein-friendly lesbians managing fraud-plagued Manhattan club in hot water — again

Photo by Leon Neal - WPA Pool /Getty Images

"To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him," said Gates, according to the Journal. He noted, however, that he "did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities."

Gates reportedly suggested further that despite his ex-wife expressing concerns about Epstein in 2013 — five years after he pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor for prostitution — Gates continued meeting with Epstein.

"Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior," Gates reportedly told staff.

Gates, apparently recognizing that his relationship with Epstein helped boost Epstein's reputation, reportedly apologized "to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake I made."

Gates also recognized the negative impact his Epstein ties have had on the organization previously known as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which became the Gates Foundation last year following the couple's divorce and previous revelations about Bill's ties to Epstein.

"It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation," said Gates, who has directly and through his foundation worked to shape public health, the news landscape, education policy, AI, American farmland, the energy sector, foreign policy, and the Earth itself.

"And our work is very reputational sensitive," continued the billionaire. "I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us."

When asked about the recording and Gates' remarks, the Gates Foundation told Blaze News in a statement, "This was a scheduled townhall with employees, which Bill does twice a year. In the conversation, Bill answered questions submitted by foundation staff on a range of issues, including the release of the Epstein files, the foundation's work in AI, and the future of global health."

The foundation added, "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions."

"The harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and no one should ever have to experience what they did," the foundation said in a statement earlier this month. "The foundation regrets having any employees interact with Epstein in any way."

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President Donald Trump broke his record for the longest State of the Union address in U.S. history at 1 hour, 48 minutes, while Nancy Pelosi called it lazy.

A survey from the University of Texas and Texas Politics Project finds Rep. Jasmine Crockett holding a 12-point advantage over state Rep. James Talarico in the race for the Democrat nomination for U.S. Senate.

The post Poll: Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett Ahead of James Talarico by 12 Points appeared first on Breitbart.

Progressive “Squad" member Rep. Ayanna Pressley is taking heat for an “unhinged" take comparing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to members of the Ku Klux Klan.

GOP Rep. Kat Cammack sat on the left side of the House chamber with Democrats during President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

U.S. men's hockey team celebrates gold medal victory at White House but faced social media backlash over one player's "Make America Great Again" hat.

A Delta flight's engine failure sparked a fire during takeoff from the Savannah airport, forcing an emergency return. "We lost left engine straight out here," the pilot said.

Virginia Republican Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, descendant of Patrick Henry, slams Gov. Spanberger over redistricting controversy in official GOP response.

First lady Melania Trump brought 11-year-old Texas AI advocate Everest Nevraumont to the State of the Union, spotlighting technology that helps students learn more in less time.

Authorities have arrested and jailed the multimillionaire creator of the “Squatty Potty” in Utah for allegedly buying child pornography, federal prosecutors announced this week.

The post Multimillionaire Inventor of ‘Squatty Potty’ Charged with Possession of Child Porn appeared first on Breitbart.

Tuesday on FNC's "Hannity," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reacted to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and the response that it drew from the Democratic opposition.

The post Ted Cruz: Democrats Are ‘Rooting Against America’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Rep. Al Green (D-TX) compared himself to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks after he got himself booted from President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

The post Democrat Rep. Al Green Compares Himself to MLK Jr., Rosa Parks After Getting Kicked Out of SOTU appeared first on Breitbart.

Trump called Reps. Omar and Tlaib "lunatics" on Truth Social after they disrupted his State of the Union address with shouting and early departure.

A viral video shows Whataburger employees in Paris, Texas, using a trash can and fry basket to fend off a man who allegedly entered the restaurant and began assaulting a worker.

An NFL rule that rewards teams for developing talent along racial lines is getting put in the spotlight.

The rule, know as the Rooney Rule, is causing confusion among the Chicago Bears' C-suite employees, who are expecting compensation for one of their staff members jumping ship to the Atlanta Falcons. In the NFL, if a team develops a "diverse" employee who then lands a certain type of role with another team, the first team is awarded draft picks by the league.

'I'll be honest. I think it is a little strange.'

Bears general manager Ryan Poles was asked about the rule, as the team is currently in limbo about receiving draft picks for former assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, who is now the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons.

"I'll be honest. I think it is a little strange," Poles told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I mean, at the end of the day, you should want to develop your staff regardless of the color of their skin."

"I think that's important," Poles continued. "I think we take a lot of pride with the Bears on how we have our setup, and I take a lot of pride in that. So to be compensated for that's a little strange. I mean, I saw the Chiefs get a pick because of me, and then I watched that player go and play."

When Poles left the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 — where he was the executive director of player personnel — to become the Bears' general manager, the Chiefs received two third-round draft picks simply because he is black, NBC Sports reported.

RELATED: Perjury, drugs, and counterfeiting — Trump pardons 5 former NFL players

The bizarre rule comes directly from the NFL's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, previously called the Workplace Diversity Committee. The rule states that teams must conduct in-person interviews with at least two "minority and/or female" candidates when hiring for a general manager or head coach, as well as at least one "diverse" person when hiring for senior-level positions.

Teams are even rewarded if their developed talent takes a job at another team. This comes in the form of third-round draft picks if an employee becomes a head coach or general manager.

The rule states that in 2020, "team owners approved a proposal rewarding teams who developed minority talent that went on to become GMs or head coaches across the league. If a team lost a minority executive or coach to another team, that team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years."

The controversy with Cunningham's move to the Falcons is that the Bears are being told they will not be compensated because his new role is not that of a primary decision-maker.

"The policy for receiving picks pertains to the head coach or the primary football executive," chief NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Fox 32 in a statement.

RELATED: 'We're doing the right thing': NFL to continue diversity initiatives, including forcing interviews with 'minority candidates'

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

"The primary football executive position was filled by Matt Ryan," the NFL spokesman added.

Poles stopped short of supporting the rule in his recent remarks, saying that if the league thinks "that's what's best to help incentivize, then that's what they wanted to do."

He added, "Like I said, that's not the purpose of why we develop our staff."

However, according to OutKick, the Bears are still submitting a review to the league in hopes of getting their draft picks, with Poles saying that if the Rooney Rule is in place, then he considers it to be "very clear" in terms of what should happen.

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