Goldman Sachs’ Chief Legal Officer resigns over close ties with Epstein
New York, February 13 (Hibya) - Kathy Ruemmler, the chief legal officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs and a former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, announced her resignation on Thursday.
The move came after a series of emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed her close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the messages, Ruemmler referred to Epstein as a “big brother” and uncle, while downplaying his sexual crimes.
In a statement, Ruemmler said she would step down from her role as Goldman Sachs’ chief legal officer and general counsel on June 30, 2026.
Until her resignation, Ruemmler had sought to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had insisted she would not resign from Goldman’s top legal position, which she has held since 2020.
Although Ruemmler has recently described Epstein as a “monster,” she had a very different relationship with him before his second arrest in 2019 on sexual offense charges and his subsequent suicide in a Manhattan jail.
Ruemmler had previously said she cared deeply for Epstein, but in a statement prior to her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler “regrets having known him.”
British News Agency