Goldman Sachs Executive Confronts Mounting Pressure Over Epstein Relationship
The chief legal officer of Goldman Sachs, Kathryn Ruemmler, is facing significant internal and external pressure following revelations about her extensive personal connections to the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler, who previously served as White House counsel to President Barack Obama, had dozens of meetings with Epstein and appears in hundreds of email exchanges between the financier and his legal team.
Revelations of Personal Connections
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, the nature of Ruemmler's relationship with Epstein extended far beyond professional courtesies. Epstein demonstrated intimate knowledge of her personal preferences, including her specific sushi order of avocado rolls. The disgraced financier also visited apartments she was considering purchasing and inquired about securing first-class flight upgrades for her through his assistant.
Ruemmler, aged 54, was present in the courtroom when Epstein was arraigned on sex trafficking charges in 2019. Further raising eyebrows within Goldman Sachs was Epstein's listing of the former Obama counsel as a backup executor of his will, suggesting a level of trust that went beyond typical attorney-client relationships.
Goldman Sachs' Response and Internal Reviews
Goldman Sachs has stated that Ruemmler was "forthcoming" about her "prior contact" with Epstein during her hiring process. Tony Fratto, a spokesman for the bank, emphasized that executives who needed to know about the connection were properly informed. "Before she accepted the offer to join Goldman Sachs, she proactively disclosed her association with Jeffrey Epstein and other high-profile clients and contacts who might attract media attention," Fratto told reporters.
However, the depth of the apparent friendship revealed through email correspondence is said to have surprised Goldman Sachs leadership. The Wall Street Journal reported that John Rogers, one of the bank's top executives, has been developing a contingency plan that could lead to Ruemmler's departure from the company, though Rogers has denied this claim.
Email Exchanges and Professional Context
Emails released by the House Oversight Committee in November revealed the nature of communications between Ruemmler and Epstein dating back to at least 2014, shortly after she left the Obama administration. In one particularly concerning exchange from September 2014, Epstein wrote: "You need to talk to boss." Ruemmler replied: "Agreed, but I need to be prepared to say yes before I talk to him."
In another exchange, when Ruemmler mentioned "girls" in her correspondence, Epstein responded ominously: "Girls? Careful i will renew an old habit." The emails also show Ruemmler making disparaging comments about then-President Donald Trump in 2017, calling him "so gross" and "worse in real life and upclose."
Ruemmler's Defense and Regret
Ruemmler has expressed regret over her association with Epstein, telling the Wall Street Journal: "It was my job to engage with people and companies that had serious legal and public relations problems. Many were under criminal investigation, and many had been convicted of crimes." She maintains that Epstein "informally reached out to me for advice from time to time just as he did with numerous other prominent lawyers throughout the country" and occasionally referred clients to her.
The former White House counsel emphasized that she never represented Epstein formally, never drafted a character letter for him, and was never asked to cross-examine his accusers. "I did not advocate on his behalf to any third party," she stated. "Not to a court, not to the press, not to the government."
Ongoing Scrutiny and Potential Consequences
Ruemmler's name appears hundreds of times in a log of emails between Epstein and his lawyers that spans more than 500 pages, though this batch remains under seal due to attorney-client privilege claims from Epstein's estate. Ruemmler claims she had "no knowledge whatsoever of any new or ongoing unlawful activity on his part."
Despite support from Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, who called Ruemmler an "excellent general counsel" who has "the support of the entire leadership team," her relationship with Epstein has prompted both internal and external reviews. These investigations would continue if further information about her connections to the deceased financier emerges.
Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, with his death ruled a suicide. His co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell remains the only person serving prison time related to Epstein's sex crimes.
