House Republicans ask Bill Gates and Leon Black to testify on Jeffrey Epstein ties

House Republicans have asked billionaires Bill Gates and Leon Black to testify before Congress about their past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.The House Oversight Committee sent letters Tuesday asking Gates, Black and Goldman Sachs’ outgoing general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler to appear before the panel as it investigates the Epstein files.Rep.James Comer (R-Ky.), the committee’s chairman, has already interviewed Bill and Hillary Clinton as part of the probe.Comer said Tuesday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has also agreed to testify about his ties to Epstein.Gates recently told employees at a Gates Foundation town hall that he had affairs with two Russian women — including bridge player Mila Antonova — while apologizing for his past association with Epstein, according to the Wall Street Journal.Gates insisted he “did nothing illicit” and said spending time with Epstein was “a huge mistake.”A spokesperson for Gates told The Post on Wednesday that the Microsoft co-founder “welcomes the opportunity to appear” before the committee.“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work,” a rep for Gates told The Post.Black, the co-founder of private equity giant Apollo Global Management, paid Epstein $158 million for tax-planning and estate advisory services between 2012 and 2017, according to an outside law firm hired by Apollo.Black, who stepped down as Apollo’s chief executive in 2021, has said he regretted his association with Epstein and was unaware of his criminal conduct.“Mr.

Black paid Epstein for tax and estate planning work and he had no awareness of Epstein’s criminal activity,” a spokesperson for Black told The Post on Wednesday.“He looks forward to answering the committee’s questions, providing additional clarity and furthering their work.”Black and his successor, Apollo CEO Mar...