Chairman and former CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett said he has not spoken to Bill Gates since his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were revealed.
Buffett told CNBC on Tuesday he has not spoken to the Microsoft co-founder "at all since the whole thing was unveiled."
"Until it gets cleared up, I just don't think it makes sense to do a lot of talking," Buffett, who donated billions to the Gates Foundation, said.
The 95-year-old said his "memory is no good anymore."
"I don't want to be under oath, in terms of trying to remember everything over 30 years, or 20 years the foundation's done, or anything like that," Buffett said. "I didn't have anything to do with it, except I put money in it."
Buffett did not commit to continuing to donate to the Gates Foundation.
"I'll wait and see what unfolds," Buffett said. "I don't have to make that decision today. And I haven't made it today. I've learned things I didn't know about something for all these years."
The financial mogul said he doesn't think, "Bill had anything to do with girls or the island or anything like that."
Documents released by the Department of Justice indicate that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein was released from prison to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropy.
Other documents released also included pictures of Gates posing with women whose faces are obscured. Gates has previously said that the relationship with Epstein was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and has said it was a mistake to meet with him.
Emails attributed to Epstein in 2013 suggest Gates had additional affairs and sought medication for a sexually transmitted infection without his then-wife's knowledge.
"Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. Ah, that email was never sent," Gates said in an interview with 9News Australia.
"The email is false. So I don't know what his thinking was there," he continued.
"It just reminds me that every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize I did that."
Gates, 70, said he first met Epstein in 2011, hoping Epstein could introduce him to other wealthy people who would donate to his foundation.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Buffett also said he had no ties to Epstein, calling him a "sensational con man."
"Men are going to like sex ... and some of them are going to like not paying taxes, and he figured out their weaknesses," Buffett said. "That guy must have been the con man of all time. He had a way of conning everybody."
Reuters contributed to this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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