The Gates Foundation is reviewing its Epstein ties as released emails raise questions for funders

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https://apnews.com/article/bill-gates-f ... f7abc37586

NEW YORK (AP) — The Gates Foundation is reviewing its ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the global health funder confirmed Wednesday, as its only remaining founder faces mounting scrutiny over his appearances in Justice Department documents related to its investigation of the disgraced financier.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates reportedly spoke “candidly” about his relationship to Epstein in a February town hall meeting of the influential foundation he started with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. But the external probe marks the nonprofit’s plainest attempt yet to address associations that have cast a pall over its concentrated efforts to end preventable maternal/child deaths and control key infectious diseases.

“In March, with the support of our chair, Bill Gates, and our independent Governing Board members, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships,” the Gates Foundation said in a statement. The Wall Street journal first reported news of the staff memo detailing the review.

The philanthropic giant has already undergone a period of change. The Gates Foundation shared plans in January to cap operating costs and incrementally cut as many as 500 positions, or about 20% of its staff, by 2030. The move follows last year’s announcement that the foundation would close in 2045, earlier than previously expected.