When it comes to taking advice on your love life, there are very few people in the world today who would suggest that the now-deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein would be a valuable asset. This would be like asking Keith Richards about his tips for sobriety, or asking Joe Biden for his public speaking tricks.  Yet still, almost unbelievably, it appears as though Bill Gates was seeking out the advice of the aforementioned Epstein at times when the Microsoft founder’s marriage was going awry. Bachelor sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein gave Bill Gates advice on ending his marriage with Melinda after the Microsoft co-founder complained about her during a series of meetings at the money manager’s mansion, according to two people familiar with the situation. Gates used the gatherings at Epstein’s $77 million New York townhouse as an escape from what he told Epstein was a “toxic” marriage, a topic both men found humorous, a person who attended the meetings told The Daily Beast. The billionaire met Epstein dozens of times starting in 2011 and continuing through to 2014 mostly at the financier’s Manhattan home—a substantially higher number than has been previously reported. Their conversations took place years before Bill and Melinda Gates announced this month that they were splitting up. Apparently, this was a two-way street. Gates, in turn, encouraged Epstein to rehabilitate his image in the media following his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and discussed Epstein becoming involved with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The wealthy computing legend and philanthropist is having some trouble with his image of late, as his squeaky-clean, almost nerdy image has been shattered by accusations of extramarital affairs and sleazy behavior after it was announced that he and Melinda were considering a divorce.

Everyday, some scandal befalls Washington DC.  It is a place gone mad at times, where the only real excitement felt by our elected officials comes when they skirt the law and ethics both to enrich themselves at the expense of the American people. But most of these salacious situations are muted; almost blasé at times.  We’re so conditioned to believe that our representatives are dirty that we often forget to bat an eye at their shenanigans. There are some actions, however, that are unforgivable, and there are some scandals that are undeniably different from the routine ruses. Congressman Matt Gaetz how now found himself right smack dab in the middle of such a mess. A Florida politician who emerged as a central figure in the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty Monday to six federal charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal. Joel Greenberg, a longtime associate of Gaetz’s, appeared in federal court in Orlando. He pleaded guilty to six of the nearly three dozen charges he faced, including sex trafficking of a minor, and he admitted that he had paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men. And it gets worse for Gaetz still… Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea agreement or during the court hearing. But Greenberg’s cooperation — as a key figure in the investigation and a close ally of Gaetz’s — may escalate the potential legal and political liability that the firebrand Republican congressman is facing. Federal prosecutors are examining whether Gaetz and Greenberg paid underage girls and escorts or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, according to two people familiar with the matter. Investigators have also been looking at whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure…