[0:17]All right, thank you. This is uh this is ranking member Garcia, obviously Oversight Democrats. I'm going to make a few remarks um on of course the topic of the the ongoing interview with Mr. Gates, but
[0:28]also we have a variety of other other information and statements to make about a variety of issues as it relates to the Epstein files, of which other other members are going to discuss,
[0:38]including some new revelations that came out in some reporting this morning. So, a bunch of us will will discuss some different things. Let me let me just begin by saying um uh two things. One on a statement by uh Chairman Comer this
[0:50]morning, and then on Mr. Gates. Uh just want to just want to begin by uh reiterating uh that earlier today Chairman Attorney General in front of the Oversight Committee, this is a
[1:00]request that our entire committee made to Chairman Comer a couple of weeks ago after former AG Pam Bondi put essentially most of the blame
[1:12]on the disastrous investigation that's been this investigation, dodging survivors, putting them in danger, not releasing half the files. She put that
[1:21]on Todd Blanche, and so we are glad that Chairman Comer has finally been agreed to bring in Mr. Blanche for what we needs to be an under oath
[1:32]deposition videotaped and released to the American public, or better yet, a actual public hearing where the where the media and the public are invited. Those would be our preferences, and so
[1:44]we're glad that Chairman Comer, after just yesterday saying that it wasn't necessary, that today he is saying that he wants to bring Mr. Mr. Blanche in, and we strongly support that. Secondly,
[1:55]on as relates to Mr. Gates, first it's important to note that this interview is ongoing, so we'll be here throughout the afternoon. Uh so far Mr. Gates has been cooperative in answering our questions.
[2:07]We have said we want to talk to anyone. We don't care if they're a Republican, Democrat, how wealthy they are, if they have information about Mr. Epstein, we want to speak with them. Uh Mr. Gates has uh discussed and provided us
[2:18]information about other folks that were in Mr. Epstein's orbit, which we want to discuss with. Uh he has said to us uh multiple times, which he has said to the media, that he himself did not ever
[2:29]realize or or understand he was ever introduced to any women uh that um that then of course that Mr. Gates uh interacted with, that there was no abuse as far as Mr. Gates knew of. He has said
[2:40]that to the media, he said it to us as well. That'll be discussed with several more members, but let me also just finally say that it's important to note that Mr. Gates does understand that he was around people and likely assistants
[2:52]and those employed by Mr. Gates that were also abused. And so he was around people that were actually abused, and that was recognized in some of the discussion that we had inside. So with that, turn it over to Mr. Lynch. >> Yeah.
[3:04]Thank you, Mr. Garcia. One of the one of the frustrations throughout this investigation that we have had is that the the White House and especially uh Todd Blanche, who's now
[3:14]the the the AG nominee, uh has been uh interfering or obstructing. Remember, uh it was Todd Blanche who who took
[3:23]Ghislaine Maxwell, the single person who could shed the most light on all the people who were involved in the abuse of these women over these years,
[3:34]and they took her out of a maximum security prison and put her in an easier, more more uh permissive environment, and she continues to refuse to cooperate uh with with the committee
[3:45]or offer any any uh helpful information. So we we view Todd Blanche as be being a major obstacle in this investigation. Uh with
[3:56]respect to Mr. Gates, uh we continually press him on the point that his relationship, his multi-year relationship with Jeffrey Epstein began
[4:07]after after Mr. Mr. Epstein was already a registered sex offender and had been convicted uh of of crimes against uh
[4:17]women. So, uh this this investigation is going to continue. Uh again, we we think that probably, well, many of us think that probably the most helpful
[4:27]thing that Mr. Gates has provide i- is that he has named a number of individuals who were in key positions during this effort to to get into uh the
[4:39]the Gates Foundation and influence uh Mr. Gate Gates himself uh as as part of Jeffrey Epstein's
[4:48]uh conspiracy or or uh uh attempt to gain power and and resources uh for his operations. That's all I got.
[4:58]>> Great. Good morning, everyone. Uh I think we are all glad to hear that Mr. Comer has had a change of heart in making sure that Todd Blanche is brought before this committee. We want to make
[5:10]clear that he must be brought before this committee under oath in a deposition that is recorded for the American people to see, and this is separate from his confirmation process.
[5:22]Todd Blanche is at the heart of the cover-up of this case, as was revealed especially in the New York Times exclusive reporting today about situation room meetings that were held
[5:33]in which Todd Blanche, as the president's personal attorney and deputy AG, was working with others, including the vice president, to help to try to cover up this case. Now, with regards to
[5:44]Bill Gates' interview today, what we have learned is that Mr. Gates saw this as an opportunity to interact with a financial advisor who had access to vast
[5:54]amounts of wealth that Mr. Gates was interested in potentially forming partnerships to bring donors into his global health work. And so he saw his
[6:05]relationship and conversations with Jeffrey Epstein as a means to potentially get wealthy donors to donate philanthropically to Mr. Gates' global
[6:14]health work. He admitted that he knew of Mr. Epstein's reputation. He admitted that he knew that he had been convicted of sexual crimes. But ultimately, in his
[6:24]words, he viewed this narrow relationship as being an acceptable means to access wealthy donors. So obviously, we have a lot of questions, but we're glad that he's cooperating
[6:34]with the investigation. No. We are supposed to be the Oversight Committee, meaning that we are supposed to make sure that we can conduct
[6:44]oversight, but we have been doing a lot of obstruction. And when I say we, it's more so like Chairman Comer. If you've noticed, we haven't actually had any Oversight Committee hearings, because as the reporting has
[6:55]come out, we know that there were Situation Room meetings. Now, the only one that we have really heard about as it relates to a Situation Room meeting um and the Epstein files was when they
[7:05]were trying to berate one of their own members. Um that was when the gentlewoman from Colorado had to be called in as it relates to one of her votes specifically on the Epstein files. Right now, we are
[7:17]not conducting oversight. The only thing that is happening is that obstruction as is being conducted. Right now, I am shocked that the chairman admitted that he wants to hear from Todd Blanche. Now,
[7:29]maybe he just said that because I don't know, he's got an election coming up. And as we know that these Situation Room meetings, they were about the fact that there was a {quote} MAGA civil war that
[7:40]was erupting over this. But how about doing your job? Our job is oversight over the federal government. We can't conduct oversight over anything else simply because they don't want to
[7:51]deal with the Epstein files right now. And that's exactly what we should be doing. So, I applaud my colleagues because even though they don't want to have any hearings, we are still showing
[8:02]up for every single TIO. We are showing up for every deposition that we were able to secure before they shut us down by shutting down the committee hearings. >> Thank you. Emily Randall from Washington
[8:19]state. Um, you know, I am grateful that um Mr. Gates has been forthcoming and cooperative in answering questions, but I think some of his
[8:30]answers show us that many of the men who engaged with Jeffrey Epstein only saw what they wanted to see in
[8:40]their interactions. You know, they didn't Mr. Gates has said that he didn't see any abuse and we know that some of the women who were present working for
[8:51]Mr. Epstein, who were at meetings, who were on planes, were being trafficked and being abused. Maybe not in front of uh Mr. Gates's eyes, not in front of the
[9:01]eyes of many people, but we've seen men willing to turn away, to not um accept what we now know is happening. And so,
[9:11]our work is to continue asking questions both of Mr. Gates and and anyone who was present with Mr. Epstein, but also to make sure that we hold ultimately
[9:22]accountable Todd Blanche and this administration for the massive cover-up and find true justice and truth for these survivors.
[9:32]>> Uh on on Gates today, uh there's been a lot of apologies from him. He's sorry that he associated with Jeffrey Epstein so much. Uh Jeffrey Epstein was able to use uh Gates' name in order to project
[9:44]power and influence, but in the end uh what's done is done, and what happened happened. And Jeffrey Epstein uh associated with people like Bill Gates uh because he wanted to use their names
[9:54]and reputations, and Bill Gates thought that Jeffrey Epstein was a ticket to getting more money to his foundation. That's why they associated. Uh and so we're going to hear more from him today. Uh I on Todd Blanche he has to come in,
[10:05]and he has to testify under oath before a committee. I have serious concerns that the some of the things that Pam Bondi said to us was misleading at best, if not untruthful based on the reporting today. Uh we asked her straight up
[10:16]whether uh Donald Trump's name was flagged when they were going through the files, uh and whether they were looking for his name and trying to protect Donald Trump through the process. It seems like that was the case, but she told us she didn't recall. Even if you
[10:28]say you didn't recall to our committee, that is lying if you do recall. And so uh we have more questions now for the Department of Justice and certainly for Todd Blanche. >> There has long been two different
[10:40]systems of justice in this country. One for the very rich, powerful, and well-connected in the Epstein class, and another for everybody else. And that's what today's testimony and so many
[10:51]others have made very clear. We know that over the course of decades, countless women came forward to the FBI and to the Department of Justice and reported rape and abuse at the hands of
[11:02]Jeffrey Epstein. Yet even after 2008, even after that sweetheart plea deal, when people knew that he was a registered sex offender, his proximity
[11:12]to power, his proximity to so many important, rich, and powerful people legitimized him. And surrounding himself and being able to continue surrounding
[11:22]himself with those types of people allowed him to abuse so many other young girls, children, and women for years to come. This is the system that we have to
[11:34]change and fundamentally transform. Look at right now, Congress has had to step in because the Department of Justice refuses to do its job. So, I think that
[11:45]the most important thing moving forward is for us to continue this investigation, but we know from what has come forward through these testimonies and interviews, but also through the
[11:55]exposé today about the White House cover-up, that we will have to do all of these interviews again under oath in front of the American people, and we will have to go after people like
[12:06]Todd Blanche, like Pam Bondi, and like Donald Trump himself who have enabled and perpetrated this cover-up. So, we have to make sure we prosecute the people who were part of the crimes and
[12:17]investigate those, but also prosecute for the most egregious cover-up in American history. >> Any Any questions as so far in there? >> So, in the Epstein files, there's some
[12:28]pretty explosive unverified allegations related to Gates. Specifically, there's some dropped emails where um Jeffrey Epstein supposedly was writing to himself. They were never sent.
[12:39]I'm I'm wondering if you were asking him about those emails in there, specifically whether Epstein ever set uh Bill Gates up with women, or whether Bill whether Epstein ever gave uh Bill
[12:50]Gates medication to find a CD for his wife. >> Yeah, so first I think we want to ensure that um again, we think that these interviews should be videotaped and released immediately. Uh he has been asked about those about those emails. I
[13:01]think he'll be continued to be asked about those emails. I think what we can say right now is that Mr. Gates does believe that um Mr. Epstein would write emails that were often times untrue. I think he's he spoke to that in some of
[13:13]the questioning that he uh denies uh some obviously some of those claims, and that he felt that Mr. Epstein would write emails to himself and just say things that were not true or didn't
[13:23]happen as as Mr. Gates remembers them. And so, I think to answer that question, uh Mr. Gates also was very clear that he was never introduced to women or girls or or anyone under age by Mr. Epstein,
[13:34]and he made that clear multiple times. But, he will he will continue to be asked about those emails. So, that was brought up. Any other questions? >> It sounds like one of the big things today is that Gates has named other individuals in Epstein's orbit. Are
[13:46]these individuals with the Gates Foundation? Are these other high-profile businessmen? Can you categorize? >> Yeah, I I think that he did mention a few names of folks involved within the Gates Foundation or the Gates orbit that
[13:57]we're interested in speaking with. He also reiterated some names of folks that we have heard before. I'll just say, for example, Larry Summers, of which he was involved with in other
[14:09]meetings with Mr. Epstein or other activities, who we haven't spoken with. And look, Mr. Summers is someone that we have this committee has not had a chance to speak with that we would like to speak with.
[14:19]It seems that his name continues to come up as someone that was that was fairly close to Epstein. And so, that was an example of some of the names that Mr. Gates is giving us that we want to continue and to hear from and ask and
[14:31]answer questions. Go ahead and there. >> One of your colleagues had come out earlier and said you Several of you have said that I'll stand up to talk. That he is cooperating. One of your colleagues said that he was a bit
[14:43]combative as well. So, is it both that he's cooperating but combative? Is he talking in short sentences? What What exactly is it? >> I think I think any witness on occasion is going to be a little combative. He is pushing back on certain things. I
[14:55]think you'll see that in the transcript. But, he's answering the questions. And so, I think that it's I think I think he is being cooperative in answering the questions, but he's certainly pushing back. I think that one thing that
[15:06]you've heard pretty often is that Mr. Gates was aware that Jeffrey Epstein had been convicted and for a horrific crime and continued to interact with him to
[15:17]seek money for his foundation. And I think that obviously I think we would agree was a horrific judgment call. It's not something that I think most the average person thinks was
[15:28]was someone something that somebody should be doing. And that's something I think that that Mr. Gates has to atone for. I'm sure that he's doing that through his foundation and his family. >> to follow up on that, did he explain why
[15:38]though? Why he continued to pursue donors? >> Does anyone else want to answer that question or Go ahead. >> Well, this is actually the question line that
[15:48]I pressed primarily with Mr. Gates on. The language that he used is that in spite of knowing Mr. Epstein's reputation, he saw a narrow role for
[15:58]accessing potential donors for his global health initiatives. And so when I asked him, are you saying that the ends justified the means? He said, well, that's probably too strong of language,
[16:09]but I felt that getting billions of dollars for global health was worth it. >> One of the other aspects of this was that there were people within the Gates Foundation who worked for Bill Gates who
[16:20]were steering Epstein into his orbit. And and actually allowed him to to have greater credibility than he otherwise should have had. >> That's right. Any follow-up questions?
[16:31]>> Yes. Did um >> Okay. We'll We'll do We're We're going to wrap this up so yeah. >> Uh can you explain why this is a closed door testimony? Isn't this something that the American public would be
[16:43]interested in and wants? >> Yeah, we agree. I mean, let's be really clear. We we want We want these We want public hearings. We want these videotaped. We want these under oath. We want these released to the American public, but that's a decision that
[16:55]Chairman Comer and the majority get to make by being in the majority. And I think it's very unfortunate that this continues has got to end. We should be opening these to the American public. How much We're going to We're going to take one last question and we're going to wrap this up. Did you remember your
[17:05]question? Okay. >> In his opening statement, Gates alleged that there was blackmail happening. Essentially, Epstein was leveraging information about his extramarital affairs to put pressure on him.
[17:17]Do you believe that? Is there evidence for that? And then do you think that's a pattern with other >> Yeah, sure. I I think there are elements of that. Yes. I I think that
[17:27]that there were a couple of extramarital affairs that that Epstein found out about from from close associates of of Mr. Gates. And we're not sure exactly
[17:38]who. He has his his suspects. We we also have ideas about who it might have been. But that definitely was an influence. And and it was a a pressuring method a
[17:49]lot like with Les Wexner. We saw, you know, I think uh I think that Epstein saw a vulnerability and tried to
[18:00]use that as leverage. You can call it blackmail or anything else, but but that was definitely a tactic in this in this approach. Yeah. >> And a tactic that we have found he uses that over and over again. He's used it
[18:11]with women, used it with those he employed, used it with other powerful men. And so the the theme of of blackmail, the theme of using his power information against others is is very common. That's all guys. Thank you very much.
[18:22]>> Thank you. >> How would you describe his uh