Melinda French Gates has launched a blistering attack on the U.S. justice system, declaring that Jeffrey Epstein's crimes "could have been stopped" and insisting authorities failed to do their job. The billionaire philanthropist made the remarks in a wide-ranging interview published by The Guardian, reigniting scrutiny over the disgraced financier years after his death in jail. French Gates did not mince her words. "The justice system didn't do its job. It did not do its job. Full stop. This could have been stopped," she said, referring to Epstein and the crimes prosecutors said involved the sexual exploitation and abuse of dozens of underage girls. Her comments strike at the heart of one of America's most notorious criminal scandals and come amid renewed attention on Epstein's network of powerful connections. French Gates argued that failures within the justice system allowed harm to continue. "I think that's why, finally, we are having a reckoning in society," she said. "If we don't want children to be harmed, the justice system has to work." The interview emerged just days after her former husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, faced questions about Epstein during a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee. During that testimony, Gates said Epstein had attempted to blackmail him using explicit details about his personal life, including extramarital affairs. According to a copy of his opening remarks, Gates told lawmakers that Epstein "sought to build an image of legitimacy around himself, using connections to reputable and powerful people to deflect scrutiny and attempt to rehabilitate his reputation". At the same time, Gates stressed that he "never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct". The controversy surrounding Epstein's connections to influential figures has continued long after his death in jail seven years ago. French Gates also revealed her own encounter with Epstein and described it in deeply unsettling terms. She told The Guardian that she met him only once, but said the experience left a lasting impression. "Have you ever in your life been around somebody that you just know is evil?" she said. "We need to listen to our feelings about people." Her assessment of Epstein was stark. "He was an abhorrent human being, a horrid man," she said. Speaking about the victims, she added: "This is a hard topic for me, you need to know that – my heart goes out to the young girls." The remarks underscore the continuing emotional impact of the case and the questions that still surround how Epstein operated for so long before facing justice. In the years since her split from Bill Gates, French Gates has increasingly focused on issues affecting women and families. She is now advocating for more women to hold positions of power and influence. According to The Guardian, she has recently committed $215 million toward funding women's healthcare initiatives. Explaining her motivation, French Gates argued that women bring a different perspective to society's biggest challenges. "When women step into their full power, we have a different lens on society," she said. "We are the bedrock of society. We are the bedrock of the family." Her latest comments come after a period of major personal and professional change. French Gates and Bill Gates ended their marriage in 2021 after 27 years together. Three years later, she stepped down from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, saying she wanted to "move forward into the next chapter of my philanthropy". As debates over accountability, justice and the legacy of the Epstein case continue, French Gates' intervention is likely to add fresh momentum to calls for institutions to confront past failures and prevent similar abuses in the future. Melinda Gates says Epstein 'could have been stopped'
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