From the London Guardian:
Melinda French Gates has said she met Epstein once and found him so repugnant that she had nightmares afterwards. I ask what had so chilled her. Her demeanor changes rapidly. She looks as if she is about to cry. It is upsetting to witness a woman of such unusual self-possession suddenly lose her poise. She turns away, to look at the lake outside her window, and I can see her attempt to compose herself. “My heart is racing,” she says after a moment, fluttering her hand over her chest. “Have you ever in your life been around somebody that you just know is evil?” she asks a moment later. “There you go. You just have your answer. We need to listen to our feelings about people.”
“Any woman who has ever been around somebody who is evil or had an experience and then if you’re around somebody else who is evil. Just no, no.” I notice that while she usually speaks in full sentences, her grammar has broken down. I’m sorry, I say, I can see you’re having a strong – “Visceral reaction, yes,” she interrupts.
French Gates has said that in the months leading up to her divorce, she started experiencing panic attacks, and it is clear her emotional response to my questions is real. We move on from talking about her personal experiences to the wider politics, and she becomes her usual self again.