House Republican Blasts His Party Leadership For Bill Gates’s Epstein Testimony Not Being Public

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U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) expressed disappointment in his party’s decision to make Bill Gates’s Jeffrey Epstein testimony closed to the public.

Gates spoke on Capitol Hill in a closed-door hearing on Wednesday, explaining his association with the deceased sex trafficker. During this deposition, the Microsoft co-founder reportedly called it a “grave error in judgment” meeting with Epstein. As noted in a report from The Associated Press, Gates’s relationship with Epstein began in 2011. Gates claimed he was introduced through mutual associates, and Epstein promised to raise money for Gates’s various health initiatives. Gates cut ties with Epstein in 2014 “after concluding Epstein could not deliver on those promises.”

It is important to note that Gates met with Epstein three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution of a minor and was required to register as a sex offender. House members reportedly pressed Gates on that detail, but he denied any wrongdoing. He also denied that their relationship was anything more than professional.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Burchett made it clear he would’ve preferred the meeting to be open the public. When asked why it was closed, the Tennessee lawmaker said:

I don’t know, ma’am. That’s above my pay grade. I’m big about transparency. I always just say, let it be wide open. That seems to be something both parties agree on, and that’s the way we go. We did that with the Clintons as well. I think the Clintons said that they weren’t going to come in unless we did that, which I don’t know how you get past a subpoena. I’m not really sure how that works, but I guess if you’re a big deal, you can do more than the rest of us.

As Burchett mentioned, the Clintons had their own closed-door hearings earlier this year. Footage from those hearings was eventually made public, revealing a handful of fiery moments from Hillary Clinton’s testimony.

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