Goldman Sachs Lawyer Ruemmler to Leave Over Epstein Ties (2)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s top lawyer Kathy Ruemmler is leaving the firm following a cache of Department of Justice documents showing her links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement, Chief Executive Officer David Solomon said that he respects her decision to resign and that she would be “missed.”

Ruemmler, who will leave on June 30, was well-known for her time as a White House counsel in Barack Obama’s administration, before returning to Latham & Watkins. She was hired by Goldman in 2020 and later become its legal chief.

“My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first,” Ruemmler said in a statement.

Kathy Ruemmler

Photographer: William B. Plowman/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

The bank has said she disclosed to the firm’s leadership at the time that she had previously dealt with Epstein, who had offered to use his network to help her build her private practice. She has also stated that she regretted ever knowing him.

Her name has continued to come up in batches of documents tied to Epstein, who died while in federal custody in 2019. Last year, when House Democrats released emails tied to Epstein, Ruemmler appeared in exchanges with Epstein, criticizing President Donald Trump.

The scandal has ensnared other high-profile individuals on Wall Street and elsewhere, including attorney Brad Karp, who recently stepped down as head of Paul Weiss and former Harvard president and US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who has said he regretted his relationship with Epstein.

Peter Mandelson was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US last year and also resigned as a member of the House of Lords over his ties to Epstein. The scandal is now engulfing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government.

A batch of files released in January revealed Ruemmler had a nickname for Epstein: “Uncle Jeffrey.” The documents also show Ruemmler may have accepted gifts and travel from him, and was once accused of having an affair with one of his top lawyers, who was married.

Read More: Larry Summers, Goldman Lawyer Slammed Trump in Epstein Emails

Despite those relationships, Ruemmler continued to have the support of Solomon in recent months. In November, the CEO called her “an excellent lawyer” when asked if he expected further fallout from her past with Epstein. More recently, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said the bank had done due diligence about her ties to Epstein and “was satisfied.”

The disclosure of the files relating to Epstein was required by a law passed by Congress last year, following bipartisan pressure from lawmakers, victims and activists. The material contains references to wealthy and powerful people that had associations with Epstein at various points. Inclusion in the documents isn’t an indication of wrongdoing.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Ambereen Choudhury in Singapore at achoudhury@bloomberg.net;
Todd Gillespie in New York at tgillespie30@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Jun Luo at jluo6@bloomberg.net

Lulu Yilun Chen, Jonas Bergman

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