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not as a philanthropist but as a sort of adviser or guru or brain—a rich whisperer—making him, in addition to rich himself, arguably among the most influential people you’ve never heard of. Though, likely, you have heard of him—not for his prowess with high abstraction, but for a scandal of such luridness that he is, for a great many, the poster child for the lawlessness of privilege. He is that Epstein, sent to jail in 2008 in Palm Beach on a prostitution charge, based on the complaints of over a dozen underage girls, with, ever since, periodic reminders of his notoriousness in the tabloid press. And yet the mighty and powerful, disregarding his sex offender status, have still beat a path to his door. It’s a fantastic conclave of influence in his dining room: financiers, billionaires, heads of state, economic ministers. This includes, hardly least of all, Bill Gates, for whom Epstein has become a key advisor. [TKTK WHAT HE IS DOING FOR THE BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION. ] Hence, as part of an effort to get “out in front” of the notice that might be expected to greet Gates’ public association with him, Epstein—who I first met in 2002 as part of a group of TED partcipatants he was ferrying on his plan to west coast—agreed in early fall to these on the record conversations with me. When we began to talk for this piece, Epstein was still hoping that, beyond his private confines, he might HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_022866