Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer to resign after emails show close ties to Epstein

Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to ex-US president Barack Obama, has announced her resignation after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an “older brother” and downplayed his sex crimes.

Ms Ruemmler said she would “step down as chief legal officer and general counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30 2026”.

Up until her resignation, Ms Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman’s top legal post, which she had held since 2020.

While Ms Ruemmler has called Epstein a “monster” in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail.

Ms Ruemmler called Epstein “Uncle Jeffrey” in emails and said she adored him.

In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ms Ruemmler “regrets ever knowing him”.

In her statement, Ms Ruemmler said: “Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do. My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first.”

Goldman chief executive David Solomon said in a separate statement: “As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision.”

During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ms Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat.

The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender.

In 2018, Ms Ruemmler wrote to Epstein: “So lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!!”

Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest. Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.

As late as December, Mr Solomon described Ms Ruemmler as an “excellent lawyer” and said she had his full faith and backing.