Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under former President Barack Obama, is stepping down from her role as general counsel of financial giant Goldman Sachs after the Justice Department’s newly released files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein offered additional details on her relationship with Epstein.
Ruemmler told CBS News that she is resigning as general counsel.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon confirmed Ruemmler’s resignation in a statement to CBS News, writing that “I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision.” Solomon called her an “extraordinary general counsel” and said “she will be missed.” Her resignation takes effect on June 30.
Ruemmler serves as chief legal officer and general counsel for Goldman Sachs, and she co-chairs the mega-investment bank’s reputational risk committee. She previously served as White House counsel under Obama from 2011 to 2014, before joining the law firm Latham and Watkins in 2014 and then Goldman Sachs in 2020.
Her resignation comes after her name appeared in multiple emails released by the Justice Department in late January and early February as part of its massive trove of Epstein files. Her name appears in messages between 2014 and 2019, the year that Epstein died in federal custody.
In one December 2015 email exchange, Ruemmler said she adored Epstein.
“I adore him. It’s like having another older brother!” Ruemmler said to a redacted recipient. Ruemmler made the comment after Epstein offered to buy her a first-class ticket to Europe.
Epstein’s calendar shows dozens of scheduled meetings and events involving Ruemmler. One note, for Feb. 6, 2018, says, “Kathy Ruemmler to have the Glam Squad to her NY apt for 9am!” It’s unclear why Epstein was making note of the apparent hair and makeup appointment.
In May 2015, Epstein asked Ruemmler if she could get Woody Allen and his wife Soon Yi a tour of the White House.
“I assume woody would be too politically sensitive?” Epstein wrote.
Ruemmler said she could get the filmmaker and his wife a tour, though she said Epstein may be “too politically sensitive.” That tour ended up happening in December 2015, according to White House records.
The exchanges between Ruemmler and Epstein took place several years after Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution charges in Florida in 2008. He was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019, but died by suicide while awaiting trial.
In 2023, she told the Wall Street Journal, “I regret ever knowing Jeffrey Epstein.”
