Kathy Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs' Chief Legal Officer and former White House counsel, resigned after emails revealed a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, whom she called 'Uncle Jeffrey' and 'older brother,' and downplayed his sex crimes, even accepting expensive gifts after his 2008 conviction.
Kathy Ruemmler, the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Goldman Sachs and a former White House counsel under President Barack Obama, announced her resignation, effective June 30, 2026. This decision follows the surfacing of emails showing a close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, where she referred to him as 'Uncle Jeffrey' and an 'older brother,' and reportedly downplayed his sex crimes. Ruemmler, who had held the top legal post at Goldman Sachs since 2020, initially resisted calls to resign and tried to distance herself from the correspondence. While she recently described Epstein as a 'monster,' her earlier emails expressed adoration for him. During her private practice after leaving the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat, all after his 2008 sex crime conviction and registration as a sex offender. Wall Street typically discourages such high-value gifts due to potential conflicts of interest, and Goldman Sachs' code of conduct requires preapproval for gifts to avoid anti-bribery law violations. Despite Goldman CEO David Solomon's earlier public backing of Ruemmler as an 'excellent lawyer,' he ultimately accepted her resignation, stating he respected her decision.
