Ted Waitt, the billionaire co-founder of Gateway computers, just dropped some serious bombshells about his six-year relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell. In closed-door testimony, Waitt told lawmakers he never would’ve dated Maxwell if he’d known what we all know now. He also admitted to paying her a whopping $7.2 million after their breakup in 2010, a decision he now deeply regrets.
According to The Guardian, Waitt’s testimony, given to the House Oversight Committee on April 30, 2026, paints a complicated picture of his relationship with Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes. The transcripts of the testimony, released on May 13, reveal that Waitt met Maxwell and Epstein at a dinner in Hong Kong in November 2003.
The event was also attended by former president Bill Clinton, though Waitt said he barely spoke to Epstein that night. He described Epstein as “somewhat arrogant” and “off-putting,” a vibe that apparently stuck with him.
Waitt and Maxwell started dating in 2004
Their relationship lasted until September 2010. During that time, Waitt said he lived in San Diego while Maxwell was based in New York. They split their time between both cities and traveled together, but Waitt made it clear he avoided Epstein as much as possible.
“I found him off-putting, but mostly because he was my girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, not someone I was eager to spend time with,” he told lawmakers. He also said he never set foot in any of Epstein’s homes, flew on his private plane, or visited his infamous private island.
The breakup, according to Waitt, was pretty straightforward. He knew he wasn’t going to marry Maxwell, and the relationship had “run its course.” But the aftermath was anything but simple. Maxwell was “devastated” by the split, and Waitt ended up transferring her $7.2 million.
He described the payment as something he “felt was the right thing to do” at the time, though he now says he wouldn’t have done it if he had the chance to do it all over again. “We lived a fairly extravagant life,” he added. “In hindsight, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have done it.”
His testimony contradicted with some of Maxwell’s statements
Last year, Maxwell claimed that in 2009, a law firm approached Waitt with a demand for $10 million to keep her out of Epstein’s civil lawsuits. She described the situation as “blackmail” and said it contributed to the end of their relationship.
But Waitt told lawmakers he had no recollection of any such demand or incident. “I don’t remember that happening,” he said. A lawyer for Maxwell did not respond to requests for comment on the discrepancy.
Throughout his testimony, Waitt repeatedly said he had no knowledge of any abuse or allegations involving Epstein or Maxwell during their relationship. He did, however, admit that Epstein seemed to have a lot of influence over Maxwell. “She did always kind of look up to him, and I was not comfortable with that,” he said.
When asked if he ever had concerns about Maxwell’s work or association with Epstein, Waitt said he regretted not digging deeper into Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea at the time. Maxwell, for her part, had denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes when the topic came up during their relationship.
He also addressed some of the documents released by the DOJ that named him
One document alleged he had knowledge of Maxwell soliciting women for Epstein, and another included emails between him and Maxwell discussing funding for a trip for three 18-year-olds and scheduling a massage for him. Waitt denied any knowledge of the scheme.
He said the emails might have been about the children of friends. He also said he routinely got massages from licensed therapists, some scheduled by Maxwell, due to an injury and never remembered anyone underage giving him one.
The testimony comes as part of the House Oversight Committee’s broader investigation into Epstein and his associates. The committee also released transcripts from an interview with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who discussed his own interactions with Epstein. According to the BBC, Lutnick said he met Epstein three times, including a visit to his New York home in 2005 and a trip to his Caribbean island in 2012.
Lutnick described the 2005 visit as “off-putting” after Epstein made a comment about the kinds of massages he enjoyed. He and his wife left abruptly and later told Congress he had cut ties with Epstein. However, the 2012 visit to Epstein’s island, long after Lutnick claimed to have ended their relationship, raised eyebrows and led to bipartisan calls for his resignation from the administration.
Lutnick told the committee that Epstein’s staff somehow knew he was vacationing nearby and invited him, his wife, their children, another couple, and their children to lunch on the island. They dined outdoors and left shortly after. “We sat outside, had lunch. It was boring. We left,” Lutnick said. Neither Lutnick nor Waitt have been accused of any wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.
(Featured image: Ralph Alswang)
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