NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, announced her resignation Thursday, after showed a close relationship where she described him as an 鈥渙lder brother鈥� and downplayed his sex crimes.
Ruemmler said in a statement that she would “step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.鈥�
Up until her resignation, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman鈥檚 top legal post, which she had held since 2020.
While Ruemmler has called a 鈥渕onster鈥� 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 . Ruemmler called Epstein 鈥淯ncle Jeffrey鈥� in emails and said she adored him.
In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler 鈥渞egrets ever knowing him.鈥�
In her statement Thursday, Ruemmler said: 鈥淪ince I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm鈥檚 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鈥� interests first.”
Goldman CEO 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.鈥�
During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, 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.
鈥淪o lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!!鈥� Ruemmler wrote to Epstein in 2018.
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 gifts from or giving them to clients, according to the company鈥檚 code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.
As late as December, Goldman CEO David Solomon described Ruemmler as an 鈥渆xcellent lawyer鈥� and said she had his full faith and backing.
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