Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler is stepping down after emails she exchanged with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were among those made public by the government.
Ruemmler, 54, is resigning effective June 30 as general counsel and chief legal officer.
“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,” Ruemmler told The Epoch Times via email on Feb. 13. “My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first.”
The resignation is effective on June 30, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.
“Throughout her tenure, Kathy has been an extraordinary general counsel, and we are grateful for her contributions and sound advice on a wide range of consequential legal matters for the firm,” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said in an emailed 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.”
Ruemmler was White House counsel during the Obama administration. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2020.
In 2008, Epstein became a registered sex offender as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Under the 2008 non-prosecution agreement, also known as an NPA, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.
In 2019, he was charged with sex trafficking minors. He died in prison awaiting trial. New York City’s medical examiner designated the death a suicide.
Ruemmler repeatedly exchanged emails with Epstein over the years. The Department of Justice’s recent release of Epstein emails showed them discussing various topics, including private parts, whether males are superior to females, and missed calls.
“Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy the day with your one true love,” Ruemmler wrote in one missive on Jan. 20, 2015.
“In the Swiss Air first class lounge drinking good red wine (only one glass!)= and am thinking of you and am so very grateful for your friendship,” she said in another, later that year. “Will=send reports from [redacted]. Xo.”
Ruemmler has said she was professionally involved with Epstein through her legal work while employed by Latham & Watkins LLP. A spokesperson for the law firm previously told The Wall Street Journal that Epstein was not a client of the firm.
“I regret ever knowing Jeffrey Epstein,” Ruemmler told the paper in 2023.
Ruemmler is the latest person to step down from a position after being shown to have corresponded with Epstein.
Brad Karp said earlier in February that he was resigning as chairman of law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, citing “recent reporting.”
Former UK Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson resigned as a British lawmaker as officials investigate whether he passed sensitive information to Epstein. Former Harvard University President Larry Summers stepped away from multiple positions in late 2025 after the release of other emails with Epstein.
Others have declined to take action, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who told senators this week that he and his family traveled to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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