Veteran investor Warren Buffett has reportedly postponed his customary annual donation to the Gates Foundation as he awaits the outcome of an investigation into the organisation's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with Buffett's plans, this marks the first time in 20 years that he has delayed the donation. A decision could be taken later this year when Buffett releases his customary Thanksgiving letter.
The report said the findings of the review are expected this summer.
People familiar with the matter told the Journal that Buffett and those close to him have contacted Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman and other officials to seek more information about Epstein's connections to the organisation and the ongoing review.
Every summer, the 95-year-old chairman of Berkshire Hathaway typically donates company stock to the Gates Foundation, the charity established by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates.
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Buffett has contributed about $43 billion since 2006 as part of a "lifetime" commitment he made after strengthening his relationship with the Gates Foundation.
Three years after Epstein entered a guilty plea to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution in a Florida state court, Gates and Epstein became friends in 2011.
Since late 2025, papers made public by Congress and the Department of Justice have included images and emails describing Gates and Epstein's friendships.
In his June 10 hearing before the House Oversight Committee, Gates stated that seeing Epstein was a "grave error in judgment," but he denied seeing or taking part in any criminal action on Epstein's behalf.
Additionally, Gates stated that it wasn't until 2018 — after Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown looked into Epstein's 2008 plea agreement — that he learned that Epstein was a registered sexual offender.
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Speaking to CNBC in March, Buffett said he had not spoken to Bill Gates since documents related to Epstein became public.
"I don't want to be in a position where I know things ... to be called as a witness," Buffett said.
Referring to the controversy surrounding Gates and Epstein, Buffett added, "I think until it gets cleared up, it doesn't make sense to do a lot of talking," while also praising his personal relationship with the Microsoft co-founder.
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