>> THERE IS NEW CONTROVERSY
SURROUNDING THE BLOCKBUSTER
DIVORCE BETWEEN BILL AND MELINDA
GATES.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTED
THAT BILL GATES RESIGNED FROM
MICROSOFT’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS
LAST YEAR AFTER THE BOARD HIRED
A LAW FIRM TO INVESTIGATE AN
AFFAIR THAT HE HAD WITH AN
EMPLOYEE 20 YEARS AGO.
PLUS IN A SEPARATE REPORT TIES
BILL GATES TO CONVICTED SEX
OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> OF COURSE, MY PLEASURE.
>> SO I SAID THE JOURNAL
REPORTED TODAY THAT MICROSOFT
HIRED A LAW FIRM TO LOOK INTO
THESE ALLEGATIONS, THE BOARD
CONSIDERED IT IT LOOKS AS THOUGH
HE RESIGNED FROM THE BOARD
BEFORE THE BOARD MADE ANY
DECISION ITSELF.
WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU WHY
WOULD THEY HIRE A LAW FIRM FIRST
OF ALL, WHY WOULD THIS RISE TO
SUCH AN IMPORTANT LEVEL?
>> WELL, THAT’S A GREAT POINT,
BECAUSE HERE IS THE ISSUE.
THERE WERE ALLEGATIONS THAT BILL
GATES HAD HAD A VERY LONG TERM
RELATIONSHIP, INTIMATE
RELATIONSHIP, WITH AN ENGINEER
AT MICROSOFT.
OF COURSE THOSE ALLEGATIONS CAME
TO BEAR IN SOME SORT OF LAWYER
LETTER, BY THE INDIVIDUAL THAT
HE ALLEGEDLY HAD THIS AFFAIR
WITH AND IT’S EASILY TRIGGERED
BECAUSE OF THE BALANCE OF POWER.
THE IMBALANCE OF POWER BECAUSE
YOU HAVE SOMEONE AS HIGH UP AS
SENIOR EXECUTIVE WITHIN THE
COMPANY WHOSE ALLEGEDLY
HAVING AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
WITH A SUBORDINATE.
THAT RAISES THE SIRENS GO OFF
AND IMMEDIATELY THE BOARD
DECIDES AND THIS IS A VERY SMART
MOVE BY THE BOARD TO HAVE DONE
SO, TO GET AN INDEPENDENT THIRD
PARTY TO COME IN AND DO AN
INVESTIGATION.
WHAT IS ODD, AND THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT I HAVEN’T SEEN
VERY OFTEN, IS WHEN THE
INDIVIDUAL, BILL GATES
RESIGNED FROM THE BOARD,
ALLEGEDLY AND ITS BEEN REPORTED
THAT IT WASN’T BECAUSE OF THESE
ALLEGATIONS, BUT RATHER HE
RESIGNED TO BE WITH HIS FAMILY
IN 2020 THE FACT THAT THE BOARD
NEVER COMPLETED THE
INVESTIGATION SO THEREFORE
WE DON’T REALLY KNOW IF THERE’S
BEEN SOME SORT OF DETERMINATION,
WHETHER THERE WAS INAPPROPRIATE
CONDUCT BETWEEN BILL GATES AND
THIS TECHNICIAN WHO ALLEGEDLY
HAD AN AFFAIR WITH.
>> THAT’S VERY CLEAR AND THANKS
FOR THAT.
THERE’S SOME INTRIGUING TRENDS
THOUGH AREN’T THERE AROUND THIS
ONE AS YOU JUST TALKED
ABOUT WHAT WAS THE PROCESS BY
WHICH THE BOARD, YOU KNOW,
CONSIDERED THAT EVIDENCE, THE
LAW FIRM PRESENTED THE
EVIDENCE, BILL GATES
RESIGNED BEFORE THAT AND THEN
THERE’S THE OTHER STORY THAT
WE’VE BEEN, THAT’S BEEN AROUND
FOR THE LAST WEEK OR SO, WHICH
AGAIN THE JOURNAL BROKE, THAT
MELINDA GATES DECISION TO FILE
FOR DIVORCE CAME AFTER SHE
LEARNED ABOUT BILL GATES
RELATIONSHIP WITH JEFFREY EPSTEI
N.
GATES STRESSES THERE WAS NO
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP THERE BUT
THAT’S GOT TO BE THE TIMING IN
ALL OF THIS IS KEY, ISN’T IT?
>> THERE’S SO MANY MOVING PARTS
HERE, YOU HAVE THE AFFAIR THAT’S
BEEN MADE KNOWN IN 2019, THEN
THERE WAS ALSO THESE ALLEGATIONS
THAT HE HAD ACTED BILL GATES HAD
ACTED INAPPROPRIATE AT MICROSOFT
, OVER AND ABOVE THE
ALLEGED AFFAIR WITH THIS
TECHNICIAN AND THEN YOU
HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH
JEFFREY EPSTEIN THAT DATES BACK
TO 2011 AND BILL GATES, WHEN
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY AND
CONFRONTED WITH THIS
RELATIONSHIP THAT HE HAD,
HE SAID HE REGRETS THAT HE HAD
ANY SORT OF ENCOUNTER WITH
JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
HE DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS ON JEFFREY
EPSTEIN’S PLANE, HE MADE IT
CLEAR THAT IT WASN’T A PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP, BUT RATHER HE WAS
TRYING TO LOOK FOR IN-ROADS FOR
HIS PHILANTHROPIC WORK, SO
HE WAS JUST VERY WEALTHY FILL AN
THRONE PIT THAT COULD
CONTRIBUTE TO THIS FOUNDATION.
>> DOES ANY OF THIS , MERCEDES,
AFFECT THE DIVORCE?
WE’RE LEARNING A BIT MORE THERE
HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ARTICLES THE
NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ABOUT
OTHER RE-ELECTIONS WHICH
REFERENCES OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
BILL GATES MIGHT HAVE HAD.
HOW DOES THAT PLAY INTO THE
LARGER PICTURE OF THIS
DIVORCE?
>> I GUESS REALLY STICKY WHEN
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT TWO
INDIVIDUALS THAT WANT TO
CONTINUE IN THE FOUNDATION, WE
KNOW THAT THEY WANT TO CONTINUE
RUNNING THE FOUNDATION TOGETHER,
BUT MORE AND MORE OF THESE
ALLEGATIONS, MORE AND MORE OF
THE DISCOMFORT THAT’S ACTUALLY
BEEN REPORTED THAT MELINDA FELT
DURING THE COURSE OF THE
MARRIAGE AT SOME POINT, WILL
THEY REALLY TRULY BE ABLE TO
CONTINUE WORKING SIDE BY SIDE
WITH EACH OTHER, FOR THE
FOUNDATION, AT SOME
POINT, IF IT BECOMES UNBEARABLE
FOR EITHER OF THESE INDIVIDUALS,
IF IT’S UNBEARABLE FOR MELINDA
OR EVEN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE FOUNDATION IF THEY
BELIEVE THAT SOMEHOW, IT’S NOT
POSSIBLE FOR THESE TWO
INDIVIDUALS TO CONTINUE WORKING
TOGETHER ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU
HEAR SOME OF THE EXTREME
ALLEGATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
RAISED CONCERNING BILL, IT MIGHT
JUST COME TO BEAR THAT THERE
WILL BE JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL
RUNNING THAT FOUNDATION IT MAY
NOT BE BILL GATES AFTER ALL.
>> THAT BE A REMARKABLE OUTCOME,
VERY INTERESTING INDEED WE’LL
CONTINUE TO WATCH THAT, MERCEDES