co-founder Bill Gates on Wednesday morning expressed deep regret about ever associating with the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as he began testifying behind closed doors to a House panel, according to an opening statement that the billionaire posted online.

Gates, 70, denied witnessing any criminal conduct by Epstein and also denied victimizing anyone himself in his testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 

Gates’ testimony comes a day after the committee questioned Epstein’s former longtime executive assistant, Lesley Groff. A transcript of his testimony is expected to be released in the next several days.

He walked out of the interview at around 3:50 p.m. ET without speaking to a group of reporters.

Gates said he first met with Epstein in 2011 — three years after the predator pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution — as part of an effort to raise money for his philanthropic Gates Foundation and its global health work.

But that never resulted in any donations, according to Gates. And he said that Epstein later tried to use information about Gates’ cheating on his then-wife, Melinda Gates, as leverage to win his way back into an association with Gates.