{"id":2557,"date":"2026-06-30T18:14:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=2557"},"modified":"2026-06-30T18:14:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:14:43","slug":"warren-buffett-breaks-from-a-lifetime-pledge-to-the-gates-foundation-as-the-epstein-fallout-deepens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=2557","title":{"rendered":"Warren Buffett breaks from a \u2018lifetime\u2019 pledge to the Gates Foundation as the Epstein fallout deepens"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Oracle of Omaha has reportedly paused his annual gift to the Gates Foundation due to the Microsoft cofounder\u2019s ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to The Wall Street Journal<\/em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more It started with one viral influencer complaining about Russia\u2019s economy. Now a record 60% of Russians are pessimistic about their country\u2019s outlook<\/a><\/p>\n

People familiar with Buffett\u2019s plans told WSJ <\/em>Buffett is delaying his decision until later this year, possibly when he releases his annual Thanksgiving letter. This is a major change, considering Buffett, 95, made a \u201clifetime\u201d pledge to the Gates Foundation and has historically donated billions in Berkshire shares each summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Representatives for Buffett and the Gates Foundation didn\u2019t immediately respond to Fortune<\/em>\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

Buffett wants to wait for the findings of a review the Gates Foundation has commissioned into its own ties to Epstein, per WSJ<\/em>. The foundation has retained law firm WilmerHale to conduct it, with findings expected this summer. Buffett has given more than $47 billion to the foundation between 2006 and 2025, according to Reuters.<\/em><\/p>\n

This pause is the latest sign of distance between Buffett and Gates, who were longtime friends and, along with French Gates, formed the Giving Pledge\u00a0in 2010 to encourage fellow billionaires to give away the majority of their wealth. Their friendship has cooled, though, since the Justice Department\u2019s Epstein files were released.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Buffett told CNBC<\/em> in March he hadn\u2019t spoken with Gates since the files came out, adding that until the matter is cleared up, it doesn\u2019t make sense \u201cto do a lot of talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t want to be under oath,\u201d Buffett added.<\/p>\n

Gates, in a June deposition before the House Oversight Committee, said he had met Epstein in 2011 and called the relationship a \u201cgrave error in judgment,\u201d while denying he ever witnessed criminal conduct.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn the work I do, reputation is the basis for developing partnerships that save lives,\u201d . \u201cMeeting with Epstein was a grave error in judgment and put this work at risk. His behavior was antithetical to all my efforts to contribute to a world where everyone has a chance to live a healthy and productive life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more AI is minting billion-dollar companies faster than before<\/a><\/p>\n

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In early May, Gates also didn\u2019t attend Berkshire Hathaway\u2019s annual meeting\u2014where he had served on the board until 2020\u2014for the first time in years.<\/p>\n

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Melinda French Gates also distanced herself from the foundation<\/h2>\n

Gates\u2019 own ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, has started distancing themselves from the foundation ever since the flood of Epstein files were released.\u00a0<\/p>\n

French Gates split from Gates in 2021 after nearly 30 years of marriage and resigned as co-chair of what was then the $63 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2024, walking away with an additional $12.5 billion to commit to her own work on behalf of women and families. She now runs Pivotal, her independent foundation focused on gender equality and global health.<\/p>\n

In a February interview with NPR<\/em>, French Gates said Gates and others named in the files \u201chave to answer\u201d for what\u2019s described in them\u2014\u201dnot me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The documents that surfaced in late January show Epstein drafted notes to and about Gates suggesting the billionaire had engaged in extramarital affairs\u2014claims Gates\u2019 representatives have repeatedly denied, calling them \u201cabsolutely absurd and completely false.\u201d Subsequent Fortune<\/em> reporting on the files traced how Epstein spent roughly a decade working to insert himself into Gates\u2019 inner circle\u2014directly and through intermediaries\u2014and kept at it even after Gates stopped communicating with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A Gates spokesperson has said Gates regrets meeting Epstein but never witnessed or engaged in any illegal behavior.<\/p>\n

The questions arrive at a pivotal moment for the foundation, which told Fortune<\/em> first last summer it plans to spend down its endowment and shutter at the end of 2045, accelerating its giving in the years ahead. As it ramps up toward that closure, the foundation has told employees it would cut hundreds of positions in the coming years, even as it remains one of the most consequential philanthropies in the world.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump takes his inflation battle to gas retailers after his plot against the Fed runs aground\u2014sets target for $2.50 a gallon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buffett continues to distance himself from Gates amid the Epstein investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-warren-buffett"],"yoast_head":"\nWarren Buffett breaks from a \u2018lifetime\u2019 pledge to the Gates Foundation as the Epstein fallout deepens - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=2557\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Warren Buffett breaks from a \u2018lifetime\u2019 pledge to the Gates Foundation as the Epstein fallout deepens - 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