Goldman Sachs’ general counsel and chief legal officer Kathy Ruemmler will step down from her role at the end of June after newly released Epstein-related documents renewed attention on her past interactions with the disgraced financier.
Ruemmler’s departure follows the public release of millions of pages of documents by the US Justice Department and Congress related to Jeffrey Epstein. The materials include emails and other records showing extended communication between Ruemmler and Epstein, including exchanges that continued years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first,” Ruemmler said in a statement cited by CNBC.
Ruemmler joined the firm in 2020 after a prominent legal career that included serving as White House counsel to former President Barack Obama and as a federal prosecutor. She became one of Goldman’s most senior executives, overseeing legal, regulatory and reputational matters.
The documents released this year detail a relationship between Ruemmler and Epstein that included frequent correspondence and the receipt of gifts while she was in private practice, according to media reports. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon accepted Ruemmler’s resignation and praised her tenure at the firm. “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,” Solomon said, according to WSJ.com.
Ruemmler has said she regrets having known Epstein and has expressed sympathy for the victims of his crimes. “I regret ever knowing him, and I have enormous sympathy for the victims of Epstein’s crimes,” she is quoted as saying. The lawyer maintains that her interactions with Epstein were professional.
Goldman previously stood by Ruemmler as earlier disclosures surfaced, but the latest document release intensified attention on her role and ultimately led to her decision to step aside.
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