Goldman Sachs' top lawyer will step down after newly released records showed a far more familiar relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than she and the bank had previously acknowledged, the New York Times reports. Kathryn Ruemmler, the firm's general counsel since 2021 and a key figure on its reputational risk committee, said Thursday night that she will resign effective June 30, following the Justice Department's disclosure of emails, texts, and photos detailing her interactions with the late financier and convicted sex offender. Ruemmler and Goldman had long maintained that her dealings with Epstein were purely professional.
The materials, made public late last month, depict a different dynamic: Ruemmler allegedly asked for and accepted gifts from Epstein (including, per CNBC and the Guardian, a Fendi purse, a Hermes bag, Bergdorf Goodman gift cards, a fur coat, and spa visits), offered him advice on managing negative press coverage, and chatted about her personal life, including her dating experiences. In one exchange cited in the documents, she referred to Epstein as "Uncle Jeffrey" in a message to an associate. She even signed some of her emails to Epstein with "xoxo," according to the New York Post, and allegedly maintained her correspondence with him until days before his suicide in a jail cell. The night Epstein was arrested in 2019, Ruemmler was one of three people he called, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Goldman CEO David Solomon said in a statement that he had accepted Ruemmler's resignation and "respected her decision." Before joining Goldman, Ruemmler served as White House counsel under President Obama and was a prominent white-collar defense lawyer at Latham & Watkins. A Goldman spokesperson says Ruemmler "regrets ever knowing" Epstein.
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