Kathryn Ruemmler, a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs Group, announced Thursday (local time) that she is leaving the firm after a series of documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) showed her connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Bloomberg reported.
The bank said Ruemmler will leave on June 30. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said in a statement: “Kathy was an extraordinary general counsel,” adding that she will be “missed.”
The development comes weeks after Ruemmler fended off several reports that focused on her ties to Epstein. But Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer has consistently maintained that her dealings with Epstein were professional.
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Who is Kathryn Ruemmler?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ruemmler has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law. She began her legal career in 1996 as a law clerk to Judge Timothy K Lewis of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. From 1997 to 2000, she served as an assistant at Zuckerman Spaeder.
In 2000, she served as an advisor to former US President Bill Clinton and then as Deputy Director at the US Department of Justice.
In 2007, she joined Latham & Watkins as a litigation partner. She later rejoined the Department of Justice as its Senior Associate Deputy Attorney General.
From 2010 to 2014, she worked in the White House as an adviser to former President Barack Obama. Her second stint at Latham & Watkins began in 2014.
In 2020, she joined Goldman Sachs, where she worked in various capacities.
Ruemmeler has ties to Epstein
In a statement to CNN, Ruemmler said, “Since joining Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational and regulatory affairs; enhance our strong risk management processes and ensure that we live up to our core value of integrity in everything we do.”
She added: “My responsibility is to put the interests of Goldman Sachs first. Today I regretfully informed David Solomon of my intention to step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs effective June 30, 2026.”
Commenting on her ties to Epstein, she told CNN: “I knew Jeffrey Epstein professionally when I served as head of the white-collar defense group at Latham & Watkins, and he was a business resource. I did not represent him and I was not compensated by him. I was one of many lawyers that Epstein approached informally for advice.”
What did the documents show?
The latest tranche of files released on January 30 consisted of more than 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 was allowed to accept 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.
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In another email from 2015, Ruemmler wished Epstein a happy 62nd birthday, writing, “I hope you enjoy your day with your one true love. :-).” To which the sex offender responded with a rousing remark.
While Ruemmler maintained that her relationship with the late wealthy financier was professional, hundreds of emails suggest otherwise, including her planned trip to Epstein’s island and some of the gifts he gave her.
She also discussed some of her personal matters with Epstein, expressing gratitude for their “friendship” and ending her messages with “xo” and “xoxo.”