Buffett says he doesn’t regret his donations to the Gates Foundation despite Epstein scandal

Warren Buffett in a 2023 file photo. The retired CEO of Berkshire Hathaway says he doesn't regret the donations he's made to the Gates Foundation. ( The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Warren Buffett said he doesn’t regret the billions he donated to the Gates Foundation despite revelations of the close ties between Bill Gates and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but that he is no longer talking to his close friend Gates.

“I wish that certain things hadn’t happened,” Buffett, who has donated tens of billions worth of stock to the Gates Foundation, told CNBC Tuesday. But as for the work of the Foundation, he said, “It isn’t like they’re stealing money for themselves.”

Buffett’s donations tallied $36 billion as of 2022, the Foundation reported, and he has made annual donations since then. However, he hasn’t decided the fate of next donation scheduled for June.

The release of Epstein related documents by the Justice Department, totaling more than 3 million pages, contains numerous emails between Gates and Epstein showing them coordinating meetings and discussing Gates’ philanthropic work. It also has comments written by Epstein himself suggesting sexual misdeeds by Gates.

Gates has reportedly apologized to Foundation staff for his ties to Epstein, calling his relationship with him “a huge mistake,” but has strongly denied the claims of personal wrongdoing as “false.”

All of the documented interactions with Gates occurred after Epstein’s 2008 conviction on prostitution-related charges.

Buffett said he never met Epstein or had any contact with him. He also said he has not talked to Gates, who has been a close friend of his for years, about the scandal.

“We’ve had great times together,” he said. “But I think until it gets cleared up, I just don’t think it makes sense to do a lot of talking.”

He said one reason is that he doesn’t want to be called to testify about Epstein’s ties to Gates.

“I don’t want to be under oath,” he said.

By Chris Isidore