Kathy Ruemmler, former White House counsel under President Barack Obama and current chief legal officer of Goldman Sachs, recently came into the spotlight following the release of emails exchanged with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to CNN, the emails included a birthday greeting from Ruemmler in 2015 and a sexually explicit, unsolicited reply from Epstein, which she promptly mocked before leaving the exchange.
While the correspondence drew attention, Ruemmler’s team emphasized that her involvement was limited to a greeting and her response, and that she provided Epstein with only occasional legal advice.
Kathy Ruemmler: Early Life and Education
Ruemmler grew up in Richland, Washington and graduated from Richland High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and a juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Law Journal.
Legal career
Ruemmler began her legal career clerking for Judge Timothy K. Lewis on the Third Circuit (1996–1997). She then served as an associate counsel to President Clinton (2000–2001) and as a federal prosecutor (2001–2007), worked as an assistant US attorney in DC and as deputy director of the Justice Department’s Enron Task Force.
She returned to private practice in 2007 and became a partner at Latham & Watkins, where she co-chaired its white-collar defense group before joining the Obama administration in 2009 as a senior associate deputy attorney general.
Epstein’s birthday email exchange draws attention
On Jeffrey Epstein’s 62nd Birthday in 2015, Kathy Ruemmler Emailed Him to Wish Him Happy Birthdayshe writes, “I hope you enjoy your day with your one true love.” 🙂
According to CNN, Epstein replied with a sexually explicit and unsolicited remark in a typo-filled email stating, “They say men usually give (sic) a name to their penis,” adding that “it would be inappropriate to make love to a complete stranger.”
News reports said Ruemmler replied, “It’s hard to believe that there is still an open question as to whether men are (the) inferior sex.”
Checking emails
According to CNN, the birthday exchange was part of hundreds of emails reviewed by the network that discussed Epstein’s legal battles and reputational issues. The correspondence also included more personal communications between the two, including references to a proposed trip to Epstein’s island and gifts he had given her.
CNN reported that in some of the exchanges, Ruemmler discussed personal matters, expressed gratitude for their “friendship” and signed messages with “xo” and “xoxo”.
Ruemmler’s attorney denies any inappropriate banter
Following the latest release of Epstein-related documents, Ruemmler and her communications team referred CNN’s questions to her attorney, Tom Claro.
Tom Clare further clarified Ruemmler’s position in a statement to CNN, saying: “The fact is: Ms. Ruemmler makes no statement about Epstein’s penis. She doesn’t mention it. She doesn’t joke about it. She doesn’t joke about it with Epstein. She doesn’t access Epstein’s unsolicited remark, free participation in their exchange. (sic) limited to (1) wishing Epstein a happy birthday (2) mocking Epstein for the remark and (3) termination of the exchange.’