Kathryn Ruemmler, the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs Group, on Thursday (local time) announced that she is leaving the firm after a series of documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) showed her links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Bloomberg reported.
The bank said that Ruemmler will leave on 30 June. In a statement, Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon said, “Kathy has been an extraordinary general counsel,” and added that she would be “missed.”
The development comes weeks after Ruemmler weathered several news reports that brought focus on her ties to Epstein. However, the top Goldman Sachs lawyer has consistently maintained that her ties with Epstein were professional.
Who is Kathryn Ruemmler?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ruemmler holds a Bachelor of Arts in English degree from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law. She began her legal career in 1996 as a law clerk for Judge Timothy K Lewis of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Following this, she served as an associate at Zuckerman Spaeder between 1997 and 2000.
In 2000, she served as an associate counsel to former US President Bill Clinton and then as a deputy director at the US Department of Justice.
In 2007, she joined Latham & Watkins as a litigation partner. Later, she joined the Department of Justice again as its principal associate deputy attorney general.
From 2010 to 2014, she worked at the White House as a counselor to former President Barack Obama. Her second stint at Latham & Watkins began in 2014.
In 2020, she joined Goldman Sachs, where she has served in various capacities.
Ruemmeler on ties with Epstein
In a statement to cnnRuemmler said, “Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do.”
She added, “My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first. Earlier today, I regretfully informed David Solomon of my intention to step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.”
Commenting on her ties with Epstein, she told cnn“I knew Jeffrey Epstein in a professional capacity when I served as head of the white collar defense group at Latham & Watkins, and he was a business referral source. I did not represent him and was not compensated by him. I was one of a number of lawyers Epstein informally reached out to for advice.”
What did the documents show?
Released on 30 January, the latest tranche of files consisted of over three million pages, 180,000 images, and at least 2,000 videos. The files revealed that Ruemmler had a nickname for Epstein: “Uncle Jeffrey.” The documents also showed that she may have accepted gifts and travel from him and was also accused of having an affair with one of Epstein’s top lawyers, who was married at the time.
In another email of 2015, Ruemmler wished Epstein on his 62nd birthday and wrote, “I hope you enjoy the day with your one true love. :-).” To this, the sex offender replied with a raunchy note.
While Ruemmler has maintained that her ties with the late wealthy financier were professional, hundreds of emails suggest otherwise, including her planned trip to Epstein’s island and some of the gifts that he had given her.
Further, she also discussed some of her personal matters with Epstein, expressed gratitude for their “friendship,” and would end her messages with “xo” and “xoxo.”
