Goldman Sachs’ Top Lawyer Resigns After Epstein Files Reveal Close Ties
Topline
Goldman Sachs Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, Kathryn Ruemmler, announced her resignation Thursday night, days after her close ties with Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in the Justice Department’s latest tranche of documents connected to the convicted sex offender—marking the latest high-profile fallout linked to the Epstein files.
FILE PHOTO: Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler announced her resignation after the Epstein files revealed her ties with the convicted sex offender.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Key Facts
Ruemmler told the Financial Times that she will step down as Goldman’s top lawyer on June 30, and said, “I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defense attorney, was becoming a distraction.”
Ruemmler, who served as the White House Counsel during the Obama administration, told Axios that it was her “responsibility…to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first” and had informed the investment giant’s CEO, David Solomon, about her resignation.
In a statement shared with several outletsSolomon said he has accepted her resignation and respected her decision, calling her “one of the most accomplished professionals in her field.”
The resignation comes days after Ruemmler tried to distance herself from the convicted sex offender, telling Reuters that she was a defense attorney when she dealt with Epstein and only got to “know him as a lawyer,” even though the emails she purportedly sent him appear to show a close relationship.
Ruemmler also claimed she “had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal conduct on his part, and I did not know him as the monster he has been revealed to be.”
What Do We Know About Ruemler’s Ties With Epstein?
The DOJ released a recent tranche of files last month that showed multiple purported email conversations between Ruemmler and Epstein spanning several years. Many of the emails, sent by a “Kathy Ruemmler,” refer to the convicted sex offender as “uncle Jeffrey.” In a 2016 email, Ruemmler discusses hunting for a new apartment and getting a haircut “because uncle Jeffrey told me that I need to stop being passive.” In an October 2018 email purportedly sent by her, Ruemmler thanks Epstein for a “lovely and thoughtful” gift, and a January 2019 email to him says: “Am totally tricked out by Uncle Jeffrey today! Jeffrey boots, handbag, and w=tch!”
