Gateway computer company co-founder Ted Waitt testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee that he was in a romantic relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell from 2004 to 2010, according to transcripts released Wednesday.

During the closed-door interview on April 30, Waitt told lawmakers he regrets the relationship given what he now knows about Maxwell's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. "If I knew then what I know now about Ms Maxwell, I never would've befriended her or allowed her to be around my four children," Waitt said in his opening statement. "I never would've spent six years in a romantic relationship with her."

The billionaire's testimony provided new details about his relationship with Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking operation. Waitt paid Maxwell $7.2 million following their breakup, though the specific reasons for the payment were not detailed in the available excerpts.

Waitt also disputed previous statements made by Maxwell regarding how their relationship ended. According to the testimony, Maxwell had previously claimed their relationship concluded after a mysterious blackmail attempt related to Epstein's civil cases, which Waitt contested.

The testimony comes as part of ongoing congressional investigations into Epstein's network and associates. Waitt told lawmakers he regrets not looking more closely into Epstein's 2008 guilty plea to soliciting prostitution from a minor.